As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,707 students and 192.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 14.1:1. There were 386 students (14.3% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 122 (4.5% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[2] Based on 2021-22 data from the New Jersey Department of Education, it was the fifth-largest high school in the state and one of 29 schools with more than 2,000 students.[5]
The school operates from 7:35 A.M. to 2:06 P.M.[6] and runs on a 6-period schedule using block scheduling.[7]
History
Old Bridge High School opened in September 1994. It was formed from the merger of Cedar Ridge High School and Madison Central High School, which were the two existing public high schools in Old Bridge Township.[8] By the 1980s, the enrollment in the two predecessor schools had been little more than half the combined peak of 4,000 that had been reached in the 1970s. The district estimated that the combination of the two schools into a single facility would save $600,000 per year (equivalent to $800,000 in 2023) after up-front costs of the merger estimated at $400,000. OBHS was originally set up as a two campus system having an East Campus at the former Cedar Ridge site containing Grades 9 and 10 and a West Campus at the former Madison Central site containing Grades 11 and 12.[9] The entire high school is now located at the former Cedar Ridge High School (East Campus) and Carl Sandburg Middle School Building after an addition was added in 2004. The former Middle School building houses the Grade Nine Center.
Dr. James Hickey was hired in 2003 and he oversaw a $26.8 million high school construction project that was completed in September 2005. The school developed a stricter but better learning environment as shown through student achievement and standardized test scores which have exceeded state standards. Out-of-school suspensions dropped more than 55% and student tardiness dropped by more than 60%, while scores on state exams rose more than 20% in mathematics and more than 10% in language arts literacy. For his work in transforming Old Bridge High School, Dr. Hickey was recognized as the New Jersey Principal of the Year in 2009.[10] He was also recognized by the New Jersey State Board of Education. The district Superintendent of Schools also publicly recognized Dr. Hickey for his work in transforming OBHS.
In 2010, Old Bridge High School became part of the Confucius Classroom following the implementation of a comprehensive Chinese program at the high school. Delegations from the school went to China in 2009 and 2010.
In 2011 according to the New Jersey School Report Card, Old Bridge High School made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under the No Child Left Behind Act by meeting 40 out of 40 indicators, a first for Old Bridge High School.[citation needed]
Awards, recognition and rankings
The school was the 158th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 339 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2014 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", using a new ranking methodology.[11] The school had been ranked 178th in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 162nd in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[12] The magazine ranked the school 211th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[13] The school was ranked 197th of 316 schools in the magazine's 2006 rankings.[14]
Schooldigger.com ranked the school 169th out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 45 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the mathematics (81.0%) and language arts literacy (93.6%) components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).[15]
Athletics
The Old Bridge High School Knights[1] compete in the Greater Middlesex Conference, which comprises public and private high schools located in the Middlesex County area and operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.[16] With 2,082 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group IV for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 1,060 to 5,049 students in that grade range.[17] The football team competes in Division 5C of the Big Central Football Conference, which includes 60 public and private high schools in Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset, Union and Warren counties, which are broken down into 10 divisions by size and location.[18] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group V South for football for 2022–2024, which included schools with 1,315 to 2,466 students.[19] Old Bridge High School is known primarily for its cross country and track programs, while its bowling, wrestling, and volleyball programs have also been successful.
The ice hockey team won the Handchen Cup in 1998 and the Dowd Cup in 2006.[20] The 1998 team won the Handchen Cup with a 5–4 win against Toms River High School East in the championship game played at South Mountain Arena.[21]
The boys cross country running team won the Group IV state championship in 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2015.[22] The girls cross country running team won the Group IV state championship in 2001.[23]
The wrestling team won the Central Jersey Group IV state sectional championships in 2001 and 2002[24]
In 2001, the Knights football team, went on to play at High Point Solutions Stadium in the Central Jersey Group IV title game, losing to an undefeated J.P. Stevens High School team 14–7.[25] In 2015, the Knights football team made a second appearance in the Central Jersey Group V title game, falling to an undefeated South Brunswick High School by a score of 42–0 in the tournament final.[26] In 2018, Old Bridge and East Brunswick High School played their 25th and final Thanksgiving Day game, with Old Bridge winning 22 of the 25 games in the series. The two schools will continue to have a "Battle of Route 18" rivalry game that will be played as part of the regular schedule.[27]
The boys' track team won the Group IV indoor relay state championship in 2002 and 2010.[28]
The boys track team won the Group IV spring / outdoor track state championship in 2005, 2006 and 2016.[29]
The boys track team won the indoor track Group IV state championship in 2008 and 2016.[30]
In 2008, the girls' softball team went to win the Red Division title for the second year in succession, the GMC Championship, and the Central Jersey Group IV sectional championship with a 2–1 win against Hunterdon Central Regional High School.[31]
In 2010, the boys' soccer team had the most successful soccer year in school history when they went on to play in the Central Jersey Group IV title game, losing to Freehold Township High School by a score of 1–0 in the final.[citation needed]
In the fall of 2012, the girls' soccer team completed the most successful soccer year in school history when they made the finals in the Central Jersey Group IV title game, losing to Montgomery.[citation needed]
The boys volleyball team won the overall state championship in 2018 (defeating Southern Regional High School in the final match of the tournament) and 2019 (vs. Fair Lawn High School).[32] In 2018, the team won the school's first Tournament of Champions title in any sport with a win in the finals against Southern Regional.[33] The team repeated as state champion in 2019 with a win in three sets in the finals against Fair Lawn High School.[34] In June 2022, the team lost the first set and came back to win 2–1 against Southern to earn their fourth consecutive ToC title.[35]
The Challenge
The school has been featured on the News 12/Cablevision (now MSG Varsity) game show The Challenge in which schools compete in a single-elimination trivia competition in order to advance toward a $10,000 prize. Their first year of competition was in 2008 when they defeated Nutley High School in the first round. In 2009, in their first round, they defeated Clifton High School at 315–240. In Round 2, they beat Leonia High School with a score of 320–240 before suffering a crushing defeat by St. Joseph's High School in Round 3 by a score of 420–240.
Old Bridge High School was again chosen to compete on The Challenge in 2010–11a. Their first competition against Eastern Christian High School aired on MSG Varsity on February 3, 2011, with Old Bridge winning 290–240. Their second competition against Randolph High School aired on April 21, 2011, with Old Bridge again winning 395–290. Their next episode against Manalapan High School aired on May 19, 2011.
Marching Knights
The Old Bridge Marching Knights, also known as the OBHSMK, has been recognized as a competitive marching band for the past several years and has gained high ranks in more-than-one marching band circuits. In 2005, the OBHSMK gained a Silver-medal finalist position in the Tournament of Bands' Group III 2005 Atlantic Coast Championship with their show Wild Knights.[36] Their show Metamorphosis was ranked fourth place in the same competition in 2006 with a score of 95.00, making them a Gold-medal finalist.[37]
OBHSMK transferred from TOB to USSBA in 2007.
Eventually, they were ranked fourth in the 2009 season in their USSBA circuit, with The Dark Knight. In the 2010 season, the Marching Knights placed sixth in group IV with the theme Requiem for a Knightmare. Recently in the 2011 season with the show In Motion the Marching Knights ranked sixth in group III and tied for Best Music. The Marching Knights were six-tenths of a point away from first place.[38] In their 2012 season titled 'Into the Inferno,' the Marching Knights were undefeated in group III open. They placed first at Nationals in Metlife Stadium with a 96.375.
The Old Bridge Marching Knights participated at the D-Day Anniversary Parade in Normandy, France in June 2015 as one of five American bands participating in the ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings. The band performed in the annual parade in Sainte-Mère-Église.[39]
After winning the USBands Group 3 Open state championship, the band traveled to Honolulu, Hawaii, in December 2018 to represent the state and the USS New Jersey in the Pearl Harbor anniversary parade.[40]
Administration
The school's principal is Vincent Sasso. Core members of the school's administration are the school's four vice principals.[41]
^Old Bridge High School 2015 Report Card Narrative, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed May 31, 2016. "For those students eager to get a glimpse of life after high school before they actually graduate, Old Bridge High School has partnerships with Fairleigh Dickinson University and Middlesex County College. Students can take courses at these institutions, fulfill requirements for high school, and receive college credit."
^Kausch, Katie. "N.J.’s biggest high school has 3,350 students. See how your school compares.", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, August 31, 2023. Accessed August 31, 2023. "Another 28 New Jersey schools have at least 2,000 students, according to 2021-2022 enrollment data released by the state Department of Education.... 5. Old Bridge High School Number of students: 2,717"
^Ward, Peter J. "Old Bridge Township Journal; Group Protests the Merger of Two High Schools", The New York Times, December 5, 1993.Accessed December 18, 2020. "Last December, the school board voted 6 to 1 in favor of merging Madison Central and Cedar Ridge High Schools into a single institution, Old Bridge High School. Both buildings would remain in use, with 9th- and 10th-grade students using the Cedar Ridge building and 11th and 12th graders at Madison Central, two miles away.... Dr. Quirk said the school district would see a saving of about $600,000 annually after the initial transition year. The cost of merging the two schools is estimated at $384,000 and includes upgrading Madison Central's science laboratories and the installation of an elevator at Cedar Ridge, he said.... The two schools' total enrollment peaked in the mid-70's at 4,000, then declined to 2,150 by the mid-80's."
^Staff. "Hickey honored as state Principal of the Year", Old Bridge Suburban, June 18, 2009. Accessed May 30, 2011. "He said curriculum, test scores and overall student achievements have improved; out-of-school suspensions dropped more than 55% and student tardiness plummeted more than 62 percent over the last two years."
^Kinney, Mike. "Big Central revises 2020 football schedule for its shortened inaugural season", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, August 12, 2020. Accessed April 18, 2021. "The newly formed Big Central Football Conference has released a revised 2020 schedule for its inaugural season.... the BCFC is comprised of schools from Middlesex, Union, Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren counties."
^Tufaro, Greg. "TR East, RBC fall in Cup bids", Asbury Park Press, March 1, 1998. Accessed January 28, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Toms River High School East rallied from a three-goal deficit to win the Handchen Cup a year ago. But the Raiders could not dig themselves out of an identical hole in a 5-4 loss to Old Bridge in the American Conference A Division tournament final at South Mountain Arena yesterday."
^Rappleyea, Warren. "Old Bridge falls to Stevens 14-7 in CJ Group IV final"Archived January 24, 2013, at archive.today, North Brunswick Sentinel, December 6, 2001. Accessed January 26, 2016. "Two minutes — that's all that separated the Old Bridge High School football team from living the seemingly impossible dream. Nursing a 7-6 lead, the Knights had the ball in opposition territory and were seemingly on their way to the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV championship at Rutgers Stadium, after starting the season with a 1-3 record."
^Ryan, Chris. "South Brunswick rolls past Old Bridge for Central Jersey, Group 5 title", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, December 5, 2015. Accessed January 26, 2016. "Josh Liao ran for one touchdown and threw for another, while Jaier Garrett ran for two scores, and they combined with a smothering defensive effort to pace top-seeded South Brunswick, No. 12 in the NJ.com Top 20, to a 42-0 win over third-seeded Old Bridge in the final of the NJSIAA/Sports Care Institute Central Jersey, Group 5 final at High Point Solutions Stadium at Rutgers in Piscataway."
^Mendlowitz, Andy. "NJ Football: In final Thanksgiving Day game, Old Bridge defeats East Brunswick 10-0", Courier News, November 22, 2018. Accessed November 19, 2020. "But next fall, Joseph will be able to sleep in and catch the Macy’s Parade instead of playing East Brunswick. During Thursday’s game that Old Bridge won 10-0, the schools announced they’re ending the holiday edition of the 25th annual matchup. The 'Battle of Route 18' will continue on, just during the regular season.... Old Bridge has a 22-3 edge in the series against the Bears."
^Spivey, Mark. "GMCT Softball Semifinal Preview: Knights, Tigers focus on task at hand", Home News Tribune, May 31, 2008. Accessed September 7, 2011. "The bus ride home from his team's dramatic 2-1 NJSIAA Central Group IV championship win at Hunterdon Central Thursday told Old Bridge High School softball coach Mike Bilello all he needed to know about whether his players would be ready to wind down the celebration and switch gears to focus on today's Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament semifinal against South Plainfield."
^Mendlowitz, Andy. "Volleyball: Old Bridge makes magic with 1st state title in drama-filled win over Southern", Courier News, June 7, 2018. Accessed October 22, 2020. "Back and forth they went, trading kills, points and drama. Tied a game apiece in the NJSIAA volleyball Tournament of Champions final, Old Bridge and Southern had ties of 20-20, 21-21, 22-22, 23-23. Simply, neither team could pull ahead.... Anderson and Andrew Zaleck slammed home power shots to give the Knights the 25-22, 21-25, 25-23 victory over the two-time defending champions. Not only was it Old Bridge's first volleyball state championship, but the school’s first-ever team TOC title in any sport."
^Mattura, Greg. "Boys volleyball: Fair Lawn loses in state final in three sets to Old Bridge", The Record, June 6, 2019. Accessed October 22, 2020. "Fair Lawn could not stop veteran Old Bridge from rising up and repeating as titlist in the finals of the 25th annual NJSIAA Boys Volleyball Championship. Juniors Mark Berry and Jack Centeno and the Cutters must use Thursday’s 25-19, 17-25, 25-18 loss at South Brunswick as motivation for next year."
^Attrino, Anthony G. "Old Bridge Marching Knights to Perform in Normandy D-Day Parade", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, September 3, 2014. Accessed December 1, 2015. "The Old Bridge Marching Knights have been chosen to participate at the D-Day Anniversary Parade in Normandy, France in June 2015.... The trip includes a performance at the American Cemetery and the annual parade in Sainte-Mere-Eglise, the first village to be liberated by the American troops."
^Staff. "Old Bridge High School Marching Band is aloha bound, taking part in Pearl Harbor Anniversary", Courier News, November 22, 2018. Accessed November 7, 2019. "The Old Bridge High School Marching Band recently took top honors at the NJ State Championships, and now are focusing their attention on a trip to Hawaii, where the members will represent the State of New Jersey and the USS New Jersey at the Pearl Harbor Anniversary in Honolulu, Hawaii on Dec. 7.... There were 23 competing bands and Old Bridge High School won the Group 3 Open State Championship title."
^Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey: 2004 Edition, p. 260. Lawyers Diary and Manual, LLC, 2004. ISBN9781577411871. Accessed October 6, 2019. "Assemblyman Corodemus was born in Newark on Jan. 14, 1952. He graduated from Madison Township High School in 1970 and from Rutgers University in 1974."
^Tejada, Miguel Cruz. "Junot Díaz dice "en RD hay muchos quirinos"; escribirá obra inspirada en caso"Archived August 22, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, El Nuevo Diario (Dominican Republic), August 11, 2008. Accessed August 25, 2008. "Hizo el bachillerato en el Cedar Ridge High School de Old Bridge, Nueva Jersey, en 1987, y se licenció en inglés en la Universidad Rutgers (1992), e hizo un Master of Fine Arts en la Universidad de Cornell."
^Bove, Steve. "Peace, Ergs!", Asbury Park Press, October 23, 2008. Accessed February 15, 2011. "Drummer/vocalist Mikey Erg (Mike Yannich), bassist Joey Erg (Joe Keller) and guitarist Jeffrey Erg (Jeff Schroeck), have been a unit in various other bands since their days together at Old Bridge High School."
^NJ Elections Voters Guide: 12th Legislative District, NJ Spotlight News. Accessed January 13, 2024. "As a student growing up in Old Bridge, Mayor Owen Henry attended Voorhees Elementary School, St. Thomas the Apostle School and in 1977 he graduated from Cedar Ridge High School, now known as Old Bridge High School."
^About UsArchived June 21, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Budding Ivey Foundation. Accessed June 17, 2012. Phil attended elementary school in Roselle, junior high and high school in Edison, New Jersey, and completed his senior year at Old Bridge High School."
^Everett, Rebecca. "Poker pro Phil Ivey ordered to repay $10M to Atlantic City casino", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, December 19, 2016, updated January 16, 2019. "Ivey, a graduate of Old Bridge High School, had countersued the Borgata, calling for the suit against him to be tossed and for compensatory damages."
^Dougher, Jamie. "Local writer will share her experiences, advice", Greater Media, July 3, 2003. Accessed October 6, 2019. "Caren Lissner, a former Old Bridge resident and graduate of Cedar Ridge High School, recently wrote what critics are calling 'the anti-chick-lit novel.'"
^O'Donnell, Chris. "Creator of weekend box office champion 'Deadpool' from NJ", Courier News, January 14, 2016. Accessed July 26, 2018. "Eventually Nicieza was buying copies of Marvel’s Fantastic Four and The Avengers when they were just 12 cents. He set his sights on being a comic book writer after the family moved to Old Bridge and he graduated from now defunct Madison Central High School in 1979."
^O'Donnell, Chuck. "O'Halloran revisits Central Jersey theater roots", Courier News, August 3, 2015. Accessed October 6, 2019. "Playing Dante Hicks in Clerks has made Brian O'Halloran a working-class hero to generations of register jockeys.... Funny thing is, it all almost never happened. The skinny kid with glasses who once played the titular role of Snoopy at Cedar Ridge High School in the late 1980s had given up acting."
^Gacser, Ava. "Jersey girl making a name for herself as an actress", Asbury Park Press, April 26, 2009. Accessed February 15, 2011. "I had a great childhood and upbringing in New Jersey said the Old Bridge High School graduate who has called California home for the last eight years."
^Luicci, Lori. "Old Bridge names 3 to Wall of Fame", Courier News, May 25, 2017. Accessed October 6, 2019. "The three new members of the Wall of Fame are William Boland (Madison Central Class of 1988), Ted Maines (Madison Central Class of 1976) and Mark Schlissel (Madison Central, Class of 1975). Boland and Maines attended the annual ceremony. Schlissel, who was named the 14th president of the University of Michigan in 2014, was unable to attend."
^Tufaro, Greg. "Pitcher Billy Layne of Old Bridge mulling Texas Rangers' offer", Courier News, June 17, 2015. Accessed June 6, 2016. "Anthony Seratelli, a 2001 Old Bridge graduate who the Kansas City Royals signed in 2007, advanced to Triple A with the New York Mets in 2013 and currently plays for the Seibu Lions of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball League."
^Dunleavy, Ryan. "Artur Sitkowski, former NJ star, commits to Miami over Rutgers after transfer to IMG Academy", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, February 26, 2017. Accessed January 6, 2024. "For the last 2 1/2 years, if top high school quarterback Artur Sitkowski opted to stay in-state for college it would have been good news for Rutgers. But, two months after transferring from Old Bridge High School to IMG Academy in Florida, Sitkowski committed to Miami."
^Acampora, Rob. "Jersey Girl Scores Major Gig for Nickelodeon", WSJO, March 26, 2012. Accessed October 6, 2019. "Colleen grew up just over the Monmouth County border in Old Bridge (the same town that produced Brian O'Halloran - Dante of Clerks and Clerks II fame), graduated from Cedar Ridge High School in 1989, and about a year after her graduation found herself on the big screen playing Amber Von Tussle in the 1988 hit movie Hairspray."