Elizabeth High School

I wrote the review dated August 2, 2012. I am so glad I put my student in a private school. We learned that the supposed best school, Lower Academy, is approximately 50% over its capacity! Do not let your child attend these schools if at all possible.
—Submitted by a parent

Based solely on the reviews posted here by current and former students, i can say with 100% certainty that this school is NOT doing a very good job in terms of teaching, even fundamental, grammar and spelling.
—Submitted by a parent

I think Hamilton and the Upper and Lower Academies are the way to go as far as the high schools here in Elizabeth. My daughter attended Lower Academy and is now a sophomore at Upper. They are great and they really instill in our children the fundamentals to gaining more education through knowledge and aspire to continue their education past high school. There was no need for me to transfer my child out because of this.
—Submitted by a parent

More Counselor involvement, non challenging curriculum and very low tolerant teachers. My son attends this school, loud fights, arguments in hall ways. Teachers turn blind eye, no help with lessons given. No tutoring, Nothing that want to make you get up and go to this school. Edison Technical School needs help, besides a New Building.
—Submitted by a parent

I think this school is amazing. I just graduated 2011 and i must say that this school has academic potential. most of the administrative staff must be rearranged but overall the school is magnificent. I attended to The thomas Jefferson Arts Academy and it was quite satisfactory. like i said the teaching needs improving, if that is to work the school could have an even greater reputation.
—Submitted by a student

2010, i am a student at jefferson arts academy. Its is not that horrid or bad as most people think! i enjoy this school and have fun coming there. of course the school has it's times when fights might be involved but what school doesn't?? Don't judge the school when you know you haven't taught there or been a student! Yes the school might have low grades for HSPA but can you really blame the students fully?? A lot of the time the teachers are worse than the students, how do you think they manage to put up with them if their sooo bad?? But besides for that it's a place for memories and you make the school the way see it. I have two siblings that have already graduated the school and both say they won't regret going to jefferson.
—Submitted by a student

I love Elizabeth high no matter what people think about it. I just graduated out of Elizabeth high class of 2009. Thanks to EHS rigous gradation requirements and education I graduated successfully and I'm attending Harvard University in the fall.
—Submitted by a student

I love Elizabeth high no matter what people think about it. I just graduated out of Elizabeth high class of 2009. Thanks to EHS rigorous gradation requirements and education I graduated successfully and I'm attending Harvard University in the fall.
—Submitted by a parent

Your review EHS is a not a bad school. Parents are judgemental. And outsiders are clueless!!! - - 2009-12-05 I'm a sophmore on my way to being a junior in Jefferson Arts academy. So the students have a better point of veiw of what the school is like, better than most parents and faculties. For starters everyone gets use to each other over time and students don't always misbehave. We all have a different background but that doesn't prove that we turn out on the wrong side. A majority of the school is based on the 'arts'. Yes, there are better places to be at like Hamilton, as well as Lower and or Upper academy, but I like the 'arts' and I don't feel the need to transfer schools just to get into a great college, when arts is what I really would like to study. But all in all the schools are based on your opinion of it, what you make out of it, as well as what you see as good or bad. Also i grew up surrounded by it all and I know its not as bad as people make be. =]
—Submitted by a parent

I'm a student in Hamilton Academy and now a Junior. The only good touch about EHS are the academies, such as Upper, Lower and Hamilton. Those are the buildings that get you to want to go to college and make something for yourself. Many people I know that went to the academies got scholarships and went to prestigious colleges. Now for the other part of EHS, the main complex and Jefferson. Those are not the best houses to attend. The scent of drugs in the bathroom and gambling in the back of a classroom will not be warranted by a kid who wants to achieve. More fights then good grades are achieved in the main complex. If if were someone in middle school, I'd suggest getting your grades up, so you can go to the academies. Trust me, doing that will benefit you.
—Submitted by a student

In general, the 'ELIZABETH HIGH SCHOOL' has very low scores in the HSPA' which is a state test that students have to take in order to graduate high school. See I as a parent I don't blame the students for Failing HSPA it is the teachers. They are the one who represents the students failing both the Language Arts Literacy 56% (2008) and Math 44% (2008). My son is a very hard working student and he is not very good in math when he goes for help all the teachers want to do is push him away to aspect him to know the math already. But, basically that is not the issue. I strongly feel signing my son out of Elizabeth High School and placing him into a better district were he will have the support that will encourage him to bring is math skills up.
—Submitted by a parent

Elizabeth High is a great school if you put aside the bad reputation it currently holds. I am a freshman student at Alexander Hamilton Preparatory Academy and enjoy the challenging curriculum. Although the Main Complex has a large majority of misbehaving students, the other houses are quite nice such as Hamilton Prep and Lower and Upper Academy. I believe that people should not judge Elizabeth or its high school because of the bad reputation a group of students give it. There are students who care about college and their grades.
—Submitted by a student

Basically, EHS- Academies for Hamilton, lower and Upper. I would say that's it is the best place to get a Education. I was a Elizabeth High School student 9th grade freshmen In Dwyer House- Main Complex and I am currently in Hamilton Academy and I can say that Hamilton is a wonderful school the education and teachers are the best. I really like the school uniform. Hamilton preparers you for college and I feel that I am getting prepared for college. I love Hamilton!
—Submitted by a student

i went to elizabeth high school jefferson house for 4 years. the school is awesome and has great teachers.
—Submitted by a parent

I attended elizabeth high school dwyer house for almost 4 years and it was great the teacher i had i can always count on them i always made my classes still mange to have fun at the same time i was getting good grades. towards the end of my senior year my family and me moved to another state and thats when i learned to appreciate EHS now at my new school all they cared about was passin some test so the school can get more money i arrived nd student have never done business letter or a real essay wrost they did not know how to start writting their resume and this i learned freshman and sophmore year. the education at EHS is rely good is the students that dont want to learn or care about doing anything in life that gives our school a bad rep.
—Submitted by Nathalia R, a student

Unless you attend one of the newly established 'Academies', you are probably not getting a good education. The main complex is a mess of scheduling and disciplinary problems at the moment. There are many good students (and teachers) there who are struggling to make the best of a bad situation. The administrative staff has been reassigned and moved into positions they are not prepared for. Support staff has been greatly reduced due to budget cuts. These are just a few of the reasons that life in the main complex seems to be getting worse. Truancy, violence and disrespect are running rampant.
—Submitted by a teacher

I am a former student and some of the opinions posted are very incorrect. Like many others have said, its the student who is most responsible in what they take from EHS. EHS offers a myriad of AP courses and extra-curricular activites. Its unfortunate that EHS receives this bad reputation. Blame the kids that don't want to learn, not the school and school district who succeed in offering a rich and fulfilling curriculum. Many of my friends who gradudate with me went to Ivy League schools and top-notch state and private schools. We didn't squander what EHS had to offer. We grabbed it and took a strong hold on the world.
—Submitted by a student

i actually wouldnt say ehs is bad. its as bas as the students & teachers make it. its a lot of the admin. fault for the drastic change in behavior of the schools. alot of the dumb rules & regulations make students & teachers rebel against them. i admit the teachers should focus more on the lesson than what im doing w/ my 'drug' use & what not but that make learning [ yes i do learn ] that much more fun. especially if the teachers are cool. i get frustrated alot because i can not ge tthe help i wan t & need but i dnt think its that bad. i loved my 3yrs at ehs & im hopeing my last would be better. fun & academically wise. dnt give up on the Minutemen
—Submitted by a student

I never been to the elizabeth high school houses.Such as jeff, edison, and etc. For my freshman yeah i attended an all girl highschool name bedictine academy. Than i enroll in upper academy in elizabeth. N unlike the student who are in ehs i feel completely safe at the upper academy.Its a great place to learn. Tthe population of students there isn't so vast. The teachers and everyone there actually care about the students.The on;y down part is that we wear uniforms and that the school they place us in was origanally for middle schoolers tnot high school kids.
—Submitted by a student

Elizabeth High School is well on its way to making some big improvements with the establishment of academies, school uniforms, new and improved facilities. My child attends Lower Academy and I am thrilled with the challenging curriculum. I believe he will be well-prepared for college and life. I appreciate the Community Service requirement, which enlists all students to give back to their community. With over 5000 students, EHS is one of the largest high schools in the entire USA. The sooner the students realize the potential in the strength of their numbers, the sooner they begin to lift up the City of Elizabeth to its full potential. Great things can happen here. Go EHS!
—Submitted by a parent