As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,039 students and 83.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.5:1. There were 278 students (26.8% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 42 (4.0% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]
The district is classified by the New Jersey Department of Education as being in District Factor Group "FG", the fourth highest of eight groupings. District Factor Groups organize districts statewide to allow comparison by common socioeconomic characteristics of the local districts. From lowest socioeconomic status to highest, the categories are A, B, CD, DE, FG, GH, I and J.[9]
The Passaic Valley board of education consists of nine members, with three members elected from each municipality. The board generally meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month during the school year and once a month during the summer.[10]
History
Overcrowding at Paterson Central High School led the three constituent municipalities to begin discussions for the formation of a regional school district that would serve an estimated 600 students at a cost that would be comparable to the amounts paid in tuition for the sending/receiving relationships with the Paterson Public Schools and more cost effective than building high schools in each community.[11]
Constructed at a cost of $500,000 (equivalent to $10.4 million in 2022), nearly half of which was covered by a grant from the Public Works Administration, the school was designed to handle an enrollment of 650 to as many as 800, and opened to students in September 1940.[12][13] The school mascot, the Hornet, was derived by vote of the first class from the Green Hornet radio series popular in the 1940s, as were the school colors of green and white.[14][15]
Awards, recognition and rankings
As of 2019, the school is ranked 233rd out of 415 New Jersey public high schools.[16] The school was the 225th-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.[17] The school had been ranked 202nd in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 144th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[18] The magazine ranked the school 170th in 2008 out of 316 schools.[19] The school was ranked 166th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[20]
Schooldigger.com ranked the school 192nd out of 381 public high schools statewide in its 2011 rankings (a decrease of 4 positions from the 2010 ranking) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the two components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA), mathematics (79.1%) and language arts literacy (92.3%).[21]
Academics
Passaic Valley Regional High School offers the following advanced placement courses: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Calculus AB, English Literature & Composition, English Language & Composition, United States History, Spanish, United States Government & Politics, and Environmental Science. The school also offers the following courses as honors: Anatomy and Physiology, English, United States History, World History, Algebra I, Algebra II, Pre-Calculus, Geometry, Italian, French, Spanish, Business Practice Firm, Biology and Chemistry.[22]
The school also is part of the Fairleigh Dickinson University Middle College Program where students may choose to obtain college credits for selected courses including Anatomy & Physiology Honors and Holocaust & Genocide.
Extracurricular activities
Passaic Valley participates in "24 Hours Around the World" in which students teleconference with other nations for 24 hours.[23]
Passaic Valley's Drama Department is a part of the North Jersey Metro Cappies, a student critic program that introduces students to the world of theater journalism. They run a summer program where students in grades 9-12 all around the NJ/NY area can work together on a performance.
On March 1, 2019, Passaic Valley celebrated its 74th annual Girl's Show where girls within the school, separated into two teams, compete in the following categories: Exercise, Cheer, Dance, Relays and Novelties, and Posters.[24]
Athletics
The Passaic Valley Regional High School Hornets[3] compete in the Independence Division of the Big North Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Bergen and Passaic counties, and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.[25] In the 2009-10 school year, the school competed in the North Jersey Tri-County Conference, which was established on an interim basis to facilitate the realignment.[26] Prior to the realignment, the school had participated in the Skyline Division of the Northern Hills Conference, which included schools in Essex, Morris and Passaic counties.[27] With 930 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Group III for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 761 to 1,058 students in that grade range.[28] The football team competes in the Patriot Blue division of the North Jersey Super Football Conference, which includes 112 schools competing in 20 divisions, making it the nation's biggest football-only high school sports league.[29][30] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group III North for football for 2022–2024, which included schools with 680 to 884 students.[31] Passaic Valley's school colors are green and white.[3]
The school participates as the host school / lead agency in a joint ice hockey team with Cedar Grove High School. The co-op program operates under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.[32]
The boys cross country running team won the Group III state championship in 1961 and the Group IV title in 1962.[33]
The boys' bowling team won the overall state championship in 1973.[34]
The football team won the North I Group IV state championships in 1975, 1979, 1980 and 1986.[35] The 1975 team finished with an 11-0 record after winning the North I Group IV state sectional title with a 23-7 victory against North Bergen High School in the playoff finals.[36] In 1979, the team finished 11-0 after defeating Clifton High School by a score of 15-0 to win the North I Group IV state sectional championship game at Giants Stadium.[37] The team repeated as North I Group IV state champion with a 20-0 win against Fair Lawn High School in the finals at Giant Stadium to finish the season at 10-1.[38] The 1986 team won the North I Group IV state sectional title with a come-from-behind 14-10 win against North Bergen in the championship game played at Roosevelt Stadium, to finish the season 9-2.[39] In 2006, the football team beat Wayne Valley High School during the regular season and again in the playoffs, making it to the semi-finals before losing to defending North I Group III champions, Wayne Hills High School.[40] Under first year coach Al Capello, the Hornets made it to the North II Group III state championship at Giants Stadium on December 4, 2009, losing to West Morris Mendham High School by a score of 28-19.[41]
The field hockey team won the North I Group IV state sectional championship in 1976, 1977, 1981, 1984, 1986 and 1987.[42] In 2005 and 2006, the girls' field hockey team won back-to-back county championships led by Coach Cheryl Grande, before repeating as county champion in 2009, defeating Wayne Hills High School in the final game in all three championship seasons.[43]
The softball team won the Group IV championship in 1977 (defeating runner-up Sayreville War Memorial High School in the finals) and the Group III title in 2000 (vs. Middletown High School South).[44] The 1977 team won the Group IV state title with an 11-1 victory in the playoff finals against Sayreville to run their season record to 29-2.[45] The 2000 softball team finished the season with a record of 28-3 after defeating Middletown South by a score of 6-0 in the tournament final to win the Group III state championship. The team won all five playoff games by shutout and set a state record by giving up eight runs the entire season.[46]
The wrestling team won the North I Group IV sectional title in 1981, the North II Group II title in 2005 and the North II Group III title in 2010 and 2016[47]
In 2007-2010, the girls' varsity gymnastics team won the county championships, led by Coach Jenai Agosta.[48] No other team in the 24 years of county championships has won the championship in four consecutive seasons.[49]
Alexis (Missy) Arena continues to hold the gymnastics all-time state record for All Around (AA) scoring with a 37.95 set in 2009. Arena's score breaks the previous mark of 37.325 by Passaic Valley's own Jackie Friscia in 2006. The meet dates to 1986. Arena also holds the 2010 New Jersey State beam Champion title with a 9.475, she placed third on vault with a 9.575 and fifth in the all-around with a 37.25.[50]
In 2007, the boys' basketball team won the North I, Group III state championship, defeating Wayne Valley High School by 60-48, in a game played at Passaic County Technical Institute. The win was their first ever sectional championship in school history and came in Head Coach Rob Carcich's third season. The Hornets advanced to the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association state championship game held at the RAC at Rutgers University.[51][52] The boys' basketball team returned to the sectional final in 2011, this time losing to Teaneck High School on March 8, 2011.[53] They returned to the Sectional final again in 2008 losing once again to Teaneck who was ranked #3 in the state at the time. The team had a record of 150-85 in the previous nine seasons.
In 2007, the varsity baseball team, led by Head Coach John Mazzo, won the Passaic County Championship with a 4-2 victory over Passaic County Technical Institute, the team's third title and their first since repeating in 1998 and 1999.[54] In 2010, they advanced to the Passaic County final, losing to Wayne Valley High School by a score of 5-4.[55]
In 2008, the boys' ice hockey team coached by Gary Steele captured their first Nardello Cup, 3-2 against River Dell High School.[57]
In the 2009 spring season, senior Gerardo Valenzuela of the boys' tennis team won the County Championship at 2nd Singles.[58]
In Fall 2009, the Marching Band won 2nd Place against six other bands in the Group 2A division at the Yamaha Cup competition that was held in Giants Stadium. In Fall 2011, the Marching Band won 1st place against four other bands in the Group 3A division at Verona High School. In Fall 2016, The Passaic Valley Marching Band placed 4th at the USBands state championship for group 2A.[citation needed]
In the 2009-2010 season the Hornets Wrestling Team captured the state sectional championship by beating Roxbury in the finals. Then they captured the District 13 Tournament championship. In 2012 again they were able to get the District 13 Tournament championship.
Administration
Core members of the district's / school's administration are:[59][60][61]
Bracken Healy, superintendent
Colin Monahan, business administrator and board secretary
Principal - Vacant, following retirement of Raymond Rotella in October 2019[62]
Board of education
The district's board of education, comprised of nine members, sets policy and oversees the fiscal and educational operation of the district through its administration. As a Type II school district, the board's trustees are elected directly by voters to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with three seats up for election each year held (since 2012) as part of the November general election. The board appoints a superintendent to oversee the district's day-to-day operations and a business administrator to supervise the business functions of the district.[63][64] Seats on the board of education are allocated based on population, with Little Falls, Totowa and Woodland Park each allocated three seats.[10]
Frank DeCaro (born 1962), class of 1980, writer, entertainer, and satellite radio talk show host; co-wrote and hosted Out at the Movies segments on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.[67]
D. C. Fontana (1939–2019, class of 1957), television script writer and story editor, best known for her work on the original Star Trek franchise and several western television series.[68]
^Passaic Valley Regional High School District No.1 Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Passaic Valley Regional High School. Accessed October 8, 2023. "Purpose The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades nine through twelve in the Passaic Valley Regional High School District No. 1. Composition The Passaic Valley Regional High School District No. 1 is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Little Falls, Totowa, and Woodland Park."
^District Information, Passaic Valley High School, backed up by the Internet Archive as of February 14, 2008. Accessed October 8, 2018. "The regional district which is served by Passaic Valley High School is comprised of the communities of Little Falls, Totowa Borough and Woodland Park."
^"Regional High Given Board of Education; Little Falls And West Paterson Would Join With Totowa Borough In Building Proposed Institution", The Morning Call, June 22, 1938. Accessed April 26, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The proposal has been made to the Totowa Borough Board of Education for the establishment of a regional high school in conjunction with West Paterson and Little Falls. At a recent meeting attended by the members of the local board some ideas were presented, showing that with a combination of the pupils of the three municipalities, a school of over 600 pupils could be set up. Crowded conditions in the Paterson High school was given as the reason for the proposal."
^"$500,000 Regional High School To Open Next Monday", The Morning Call, September 11, 1940. Accessed April 26, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Representing the very latest in the world of education, the Regional High School at Little Falls which will cater to students of Little Falls, West Paterson and Totowa Borough will open on Monday morning, Sept. 16."
^"Passaic Valley Remembers Clifford Swicher", Passaic Valley Gazette, Summer 2018. Accessed March 31, 2021. "In its inaugural year, Passaic Valley had yet to choose a mascot, school colors, or a school song. Inspired by a popular superhero known as The Green Hornet, the student council decided on a mascot - the hornet - and with it, the 'immortal green and white.'"
^"PVHS", Wayne Today, September 14, 2000. Accessed March 31, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "In 1940, the PV student body selected Kelly green and white as its school colors. Also, according to Schneider, student Robert Matthew designed the fighting hornet, loosely designed after the Green Hornet, a popular radio program in the 40s. The design, which is copyrighted with the federal government, became and still is PV’s symbol and mascot."
^Schwartz, Larry. "Passaic Valley, 23-7", The Record, December 7, 1975. Accessed January 7, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Passaic Valley was as generous allowing points as it was with champagne, the 11-0 Hornets would not have celebrated the winning of their first outright State sectional football championship yesterday.... And with John Miller leading the offense by throwing two touchdown passes, Passaic Valley registered a 23-7 victory over North Bergen in the Group 4 North Jersey Section 1 final."
^O'Connell, Jack. "Passaic Valley avenges loss to Clifton", The Record, December 3, 1979. Accessed February 1, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "It was a season of maturity for Passaic Valley, and the Hornets' continual growth as a football team was never more evident than in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association playoff game yesterday at Giants Stadium.... Passaic Valley, however, proved it was more than just another team. It did so by totally dominating Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League rival Clifton, 15-0, for the Group 4, North Jersey Section 1 championship."
^Maddock, Rick. "PV crushes Fair Lawn", The News, December 8, 1980. Accessed March 11, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Brute strength and overall endurance enabled Passaic Valley (10-1) to successfully defend its North Jersey, Section I, Group IV title. The Hornets belted Fair Lawn (9-2), 20-0, Saturday at Giants Stadium."
^Zeitlinger, Bob. "PV rallies to stun North Bergen", The Record, December 7, 1986. Accessed January 26, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Passaic Valley, seeded fourth in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Group 4, North Section 1 playoffs, wasn't given much of a shot at the title when it edged Bayonne for the final postseason berth. Even after the Hornets upset top-seeded Ridgewood in the first round, they were considered underdogs against No. 3 North Bergen in yesterday's sectional final Senior quarterback James Damico, however, rallied Passaic Valley from yet another fourth-quarter deficit for a 14-10 victory and the sectional crown at Roosevelt Stadium."
^Hague, Jim. "West Morris Captures Football Championship: North 2, Group III Championship", Daily Record, December 4, 2009. Accessed June 20, 2011. "Burton carried the ball 16 times for 158 yards and scored a touchdown, returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown and threw a 47-yard touchdown pass, leading West Morris to a 28-19 victory over Passaic Valley in the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group III championship game at Giants Stadium."
^Staff. "Passaic Valley's Grande hits milestone", Wayne Today, October 29, 2009. Accessed June 20, 2011. "Grande's first County title came in 2005 with a thrilling 3-2 win, on strokes, over Wayne Hills. The following year, the Hornets repeated as County champions by winning another close game against Wayne Hills. After failing to reach the finals in 2007 and 2008, Passaic Valley made a spirited run in this year's tournament. Coming from the fourth seed, the team defeated fifth seeded West Milford, and then stunned the two-time defending champion, Pompton Lakes, in the semifinals before stopping an undefeated Wayne Hills club in the final."
^"Passaic Valley 'walks' to title", The Record, June 12, 1977. Accessed January 8, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "So the Passaic Valley coach had his players taking against Sayreville pitcher Karen DeSiena in the first inning, and DeSiena walked five Hornets, leading to three runs and helping PV go on to an easy 11-1 win in the Girls Group 4 softball championship yesterday. Passaic Valley, which won its last 20 games on the way to a spectacular 29-2 season, didn't win its State championship on a good eye alone, though."
^Schutta, Gregory. "Caruso-led PV zips to the title", The Record, June 11, 2000. Accessed December 14, 2020. "But tired or not, there was absolutely no way Lisa Caruso was going to give up the State Group 3 softball championship trophy. Once they handed the Passaic Valley senior the trophy following the Hornets' dominating 6-0 victory over Middletown South at Toms River East High School, Caruso lifted it up for her teammates to see, hoisted it above them a second time, and then carried it from interview to interview before heading for the bus back home.... And the Hornets (28-3) grabbed on with both hands, shutting out all five of their playoff opponents on the way to winning their first State championship and erasing the disappointment of a loss in the 1998 final."
^Staff. "NJ Gymnastics: Missy Arena leads Passaic Valley to Passaic County Championships title", The Star-Ledger, November 1, 2010. Accessed June 20, 2011. "Senior Missy Arena posted first-place scores on vault (9.375) and beam (9.0.) and Dominique Brown, Jessica Burden and Ali Fischbach delivered timely performances as Passaic Valley amassed 103.75 points to capture its fourth consecutive Passaic County Championships title Monday in West Milford."
^Smith, Kate. "NJ Gymnastics: Missy Arena of Passaic Valley wins state beam title", The Star-Ledger, November 13, 2010. Accessed June 20, 2011. "Although Arena was one of the earlier competitors on beam, her score of 9.475 held up, earning her the state balance beam title Saturday at the NJSIAA/The Star-Ledger individual finals at Montgomery."
^Zagoria, Adam. "Title worth the wait -- Passaic Valley secures first sectional crown", The Record, March 7, 2007. Accessed May 31, 2016. "Three years ago, Joe Castro and the Passaic Valley boys' basketball team were mired in a 40-game losing streak. Now, after a remarkable turnaround, they are celebrating the school's first North 1, Group 3 championship. Castro put on a magnificent display, piling up 17 points, 11 assists, three rebounds and two steals as the No. 7-seeded Hornets defeated their archrival, No. 9 Wayne Valley, 60-48, before a capacity crowd at Passaic Tech."
^Idec, Keith. "Teaneck defeats Passaic Valley for North 1, Group 3 title", The Record, March 9, 2011. Accessed June 20, 2011. "Members of the Teaneck boys' basketball team didn't do much smiling and jumping around after winning the North 1, Group 3 title Tuesday night. They weren't overconfident or disrespectful to Passaic Valley, the team the Highwaymen defeated, 64-40, to capture Teaneck's second sectional title in three years."
^Idec, Keith. "Wayne Valley rallies to win Passaic County Tournament", The Record, May 31, 2010. Accessed June 20, 2011. "The junior center fielder crushed a solo homer over the short porch in right field in the top of the sixth, before blasting an even longer two-run shot in the seventh to lead fifth-seeded Wayne Valley to a 5-4 victory over second-seeded Passaic Valley in the Passaic County Tournament final."
^Vasquez, Andy. "Goal-oriented victory -- Passaic Valley holds off River Dell to capture title", The Record, February 26, 2008. Accessed June 20, 2011. "It was more nerve-wracking than dominating, but the Passaic Valley hockey team captured its first Nardello Cup title Monday night. The No. 1 seeded Hornets beat River Dell, 3-2, in a close game at South Mountain Arena that wasn't decided until, literally, the final second."
^2009 Boys' Tennis, Passaic County Coaches Association. Accessed January 7, 2012.
^Administration, Passaic Valley Regional High School. Accessed October 8, 2023.
^Annual Comprehensive Financial Report of the Passaic Valley Regional High School District, New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2022. Accessed October 8, 2023. "The Passaic Valley Regional High School District No. 1 Board of Education (the 'Board' or the 'District') is an instrumentality of the State of New Jersey, established to function as an education institution. The Board consists of nine elected officials and is responsible for the fiscal control of the District. A superintendent is appointed by the Board and is responsible for the administrative control of the District."
^Bednar, Chuck. David Blaine: Illusionist and Endurance Artist, p. 16. Simon and Schuster, 2015. ISBN9781422299265. Accessed October 20, 2019. "When David was 11, his mother married John Bukalo, and they moved to Little Falls, New Jersey, to live with his new stepfather and his stepbrother, Michael. David attended Passaic Valley High School there, but academics were not his major concern."
^Caldera, Pete. "Sniffen Has His Act Together after Football", The Record. Accessed October 8, 2018. "This wasn't the career that Jeff Chase envisioned at Passaic Valley in the mid '80s. But here he is, in the company of Tom Cruise, shooting a scene with Paul Giamatti, standing on a red carpet with Donald Sutherland. Back in West Paterson and Totowa, he was Jeff Sniffen, a high school tight end and basketball player growing into an agile and affable 6-foot-7, 300 pound man."
^Beckerman, Jim. "Ex-Totowa resident a shaper of Star Trek", The Record, September 8, 2016. Accessed September 12, 2016. "'That was kind of the only way at the time,' says Fontana, who was born in Sussex, moved to Totowa a year later, and lived there for the next 19 years.... Which is why Fontana, though she had early dreams of being a novelist, majored in business – first at Passaic Valley High School where she graduated in 1957, and then at Fairleigh Dickinson University (at the now-defunct Rutherford campus) where she graduated in 1959 with an Associate in Arts degree, Executive Secretarial major."
^Woosnam, Jeff. "Meeting of the Minds; Byram writer helps nurture others' art", Daily Record, October 18, 1997. Accessed February 14, 2024, via Newspapers.com. "Accustomed to being surrounded by highly literate people after nearly 30 years of living, writing, performing, publishing and teaching in New York City, Daniela Gioseffi was concerned for her intellectual health when she and her husband moved to a rural home after his retirement six years ago.... After graduating from Passaic Valley High School in Little Falls she earned a bachelor's degree at the former Montclair State College and a master of fine arts degree at American University in Washington, D.C."
^D'Uva. Nancy. "Boys' Soccer: Totowa's Gurrieri working with U.S. Team", Wayne Today, September 11, 2013. Accessed October 12, 2015. "Totowa's Kyle Gurrieri played soccer at Passaic Valley High School his freshman year before accepting the invitation to the U.S. Soccer Under-17 Men's Residency Program for the 2013 fall semester."
^Iannazzone, Al. "Little Falls' Bobby Marks a key to Nets' future", The Record, July 18, 2010. Accessed October 7, 2016. "Armed with a computer, calculator, spreadsheet and the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Marks has been the behind-the-scenes backbone of the Nets' basketball department... But the former All-Northern Hills Conference football and tennis player at Passaic Valley wasn't satisfied."
^Margolin, Josh; and Sherman, Ted. "Arrests shine spotlight on an unknown crime fighter", The Star-Ledger, August 2, 2009. Accessed May 18, 2013. "He played football for Passaic Valley Regional High ('I wasn't anything great, but it was fun') and then went on to Rutgers University, where he majored in history, and then New York University Law School, where he was a member of the law review."
^Biography, MichaelPeterSmith.com. Accessed December 2, 2017. "Michael Peter Smith was born in South Orange, New Jersey in September of 1941 and raised in the area, attending Catholic schools later referenced in a few of his songs.... I sang bass with an a capella doowop group in high school (Passaic Valley Regional, in Little Falls, New Jersey)."
