As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,037 students and 163.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.5:1. There were 601 students (29.5% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 112 (5.5% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]
History
The original high school building, located on Broad Street, was completed in 1871 at a cost of $30,000 (equivalent to $760,000 in 2023). The current school building was built as an extension of the original building and celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011.[3][4]
Awards, recognition and rankings
The school was the 217th-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.[5] The school had been ranked 221st in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 226th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.[6] The magazine ranked the school 181st in 2008 out of 316 schools.[7] The school was ranked 225th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.[8] Schooldigger.com ranked the school 277th out of 376 public high schools statewide in its 2010 rankings (a decrease of 9 positions from the 2009 rank) which were based on the combined percentage of students classified as proficient or above proficient on the language arts literacy and mathematics components of the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA).[9]
Athletics
The Bloomfield High School Bengals[2] compete in the Super Essex Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Essex County divided by size and skill level, having been established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[10] Until the NJSIAA's 2009 realignment, the school had participated in Division A of the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League, which included high schools located in Bergen, Essex and Passaic counties, and was separated into three divisions based on NJSIAA size classification.[11] With 1,473 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.[12] The football team competes in the Liberty White 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.[13][14] The school was classified by the NJSIAA as Group V North for football for 2024–2026, which included schools with 1,317 to 5,409 students.[15]
The school participates with Columbia High School in a joint ice hockey team in which Nutley High School is the host school / lead agency. The co-op program operates under agreements scheduled to expire at the end of the 2023–24 school year.[16]
The school's football rivalry with Montclair High School was listed at 19th on NJ.com's 2017 list "Ranking the 31 fiercest rivalries in N.J. HS football". Bloomfield was the stronger school in the initial years of the competition, with Montclair dominating in since the early 1980s and leading the rivalry with a 69-26-1 overall record as of 2017.[17]
The baseball team won the Greater Newark Tournament in 1935, 1945, 1952 and 1996. The program's four titles are tied for fifth-most in tournament history through 2019.[18] The team won the 1996 Greater Newark Tournament title, defeating Livingston High School 3-0 in the finals.[19]
The boys basketball team won the Group IV state championship in 1937 (defeating Asbury Park High School in the tournament finals), 1953 (vs. Thomas Jefferson High School), 1957 (vs. Trenton Central High School), 1958 (vs. Linden High School) and in 1971 (vs. Ewing High School).[20] The 1937 team won the Group IV title with a 30-24 win against Asbury Park in front of a crowd of 3,600 at Rutgers University.[21] The 1953 team won the Group IV title against Thomas Jefferson of Elizabeth with a 60-45 victory in front of a crowd of 3,500 at the Elizabeth Armory for the championship game.[22] The team ran their record to 26-0 after winning the 1957 Group IV title with a 51-47 victory against Trenton Central in the championship game played at Princeton University.[23][24] With a 71-64 win against Linden in the Group IV championship game at Rutgers University, the 1958 team finished the season with a record of 24-0 and extended their winning streak to 50 games.[24]
The boys cross country team won the Group IV state championship in 1956 and 1968.[25]
The girls basketball team won the Group IV state championship in 1989, against runner-up Neptune High School in the playoff finals.[27]
The Bengal bowlers, with three female and two male team members, won the Essex County Tournament for the first time in the 1998–99 season.[citation needed]
The girls volleyball team won the Group IV state championship in 1999, defeating runner-up Ridgewood High School in the final match of the playoffs.[28]
The girls' softball team made it to the 2006 North I Group IV state sectional championship, falling to Ridgewood High School by 3–0.[29]
The boys' volleyball team won the 2006 Essex County Championship for the first time in Bloomfield's history, after defeating Livingston High School. The team advanced to the state sectional quarterfinals over Livingston High School once again, and fell to Fair Lawn High School.[30]
The wrestling team won the 2007 North I, Group IV state sectional championship, the first in team history, with a 34–33 win over Hackensack High School[31][32][33]
Administration
The school's principal is Christopher Jennings. His administration team includes four assistant principals.[34][self-published source?]
Notable alumni
Mark Mocerino
Class of 1976
Baseball
Played collegiate baseball for Upsala College. 1980 college World Series # 4 in nation. Went on to play professionally in Italy for SG Fortitudo in Bologna IT.
Mark Sceurman (Class of 1975), graphic artist who is co-creator and publisher of Weird NJ magazine, his fellow graduates voted him "most likely to spontaneously combust".[59][60]
^Eustachewich, Lia. "BHS to Celebrate 100 Years with 'Reunion of All Reunions'", BloomfieldPatch, April 6, 2011. Accessed April 11, 2012. "Former Bloomfield High School students will be treated to a night of dancing and reminiscing at the school's 100th anniversary April 16, organized by the Bloomfield Educational Foundation."
^Frankel, Jeff. "Bloomfield High School celebrating 100 years of education", Bloomfield Life, May 5, 2011. Accessed April 11, 2012. "The first high school, located at 155 Broad St., was erected in 1871 at a cost of nearly $30,000. The school now houses the district's administration building.... Since its completion in 1911, thousands of students have walked the halls, and all have unique memories to share. Bloomfield Life spoke with several alumni and a school administrator for a glimpse of life at the high school."
^Stypulkoski, Matt. "Ranking the 31 fiercest rivalries in N.J. HS football", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, October 27, 2017, updated May 15, 2019. Accessed December 1, 2020. "19-Bloomfield vs. Montclair... Historically, Bloomfield won 13 of the first 16 meeting, including eight straight from 1930-1937, but Montclair took over the series, going 31-4 since 1982. All-time series: Montclair leads, 69-26-1"
^Mattia, Jerry. "BHS baseball team rules Greater Newark Tourney", Bloomfield Life, May 30, 1996. Accessed January 22, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Al Piccoli hurled a three-hit shutout and Jim Killian's three-run homer in the first inning supplied all the offense needed on Saturday as the Bloomfield High School baseball team captured its first Greater Newark Tournament title in 44 years with a 3-0 whitewash of Livingston. For Bloomfield, which raised its season record to a gaudy 25-4, the victory marked its first championship in the prestigious GNT since 1952."
^ abHarding, Bob. "'Tremendous" Bengals Win State Cage Crown; Celia's Bloomfield Five Beats Linden, Ups Consecutive Victory String To 50", Herald News, March 24, 1958. Accessed March 4, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "With valuable assistance from teammates Don Heeb and Bob Woollard, the five Bloomfield boys successfully defended their state Group Four championship by winning their 50th straight game. The Bengals accomplished this by beating a scrappy Linden team, 71-64, before 2,800 screaming fans at Rutgers University in the finals of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Associations tournament. Thus, Bloomfield completed its second straight undefeated basketball season. The Bengals won 26 in a row in the 1956-57 season and added 24 straight this season. The state title won Saturday was their second straight and the third for Celia since he began coaching at Bloomfield."
^Behre, Bob. "Bloomfield clicked under Fusaro", The Star-Ledger, March 30, 2007. Accessed September 19, 2007. "And it was Fusaro who molded a team devoid of stars into the school's first sectional champion.... It was senior James Chauncey who came to Bloomfield's rescue in the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group 4 final. Chauncey's pin in the meet-closing bout at 125 pounds against Hackensack clinched a 34-33 victory by criteria and secured the sectional championship for Bloomfield (20-3)."
^Staff, Bloomfield High School. Accessed February 16, 2022.
^DiFulco, Pasquale. "Colorful mural by Robert Birmelin recalls Patersons rich history", Herald News, January 12, 1992. Accessed May 1, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "By 1949, during his sophomore year at Bloomfield, High School, Birmelin came under the tutelage of now-retired art teacher Dorothea Fischer, who said the artist was a superb student, not only academically, but you just knew he had artistic talent as well."
^Staff. "Fordham's Hall of Fame to Add Four Members", The New York Times, April 18, 1971. Accessed September 17, 2008. "Borowy was born in 1916 in Bloomfield, N. J. He starred as a right-handed pitcher at Bloomfield High School, where he was on the state championship team in his senior year."
^Jongsma, Joshua. "New Jersey native Tom Fleming inducted into NY Road Runners Hall of Fame", The Record, November 2, 2017. Accessed November 3, 2017. "Days before his favorite marathon, longtime Montclair Kimberley Academy coach Tom Fleming joined a prestigious group of running icons.... Fleming, born in Long Branch and raised in Bloomfield, attended Bloomfield High School, where he began competitive running."
^Frankel, Jeff. "Bloomfield Bicentennial: Notable people", Bloomfield Life, October 26, 2012, backed up by the Internet Archive as of December 22, 2014. Accessed November 8, 2018. "According to American Music Preservation, Roger Lee Hall is 'one of most active American music specialists, working in popular, folk and classical music.' He graduated Bloomfield High School in 1960."
^Lamb, Yvonne Shinhoster. "Journalist Benjamin F. Holman, 76; Advised Nixon, Ford on Racial Issues", The Washington Post, January 27, 2007. Accessed July 18, 2011. "Mr. Holman, who went by Ben, was born in Columbia, S.C. At age 4, his father died, and his mother moved with him and his sister to Bloomfield, N.J. As a youngster, he dreamed of writing musicals -- to combine his passion for writing and music, his sister said -- and also of training to be an engineer. But by his junior year in high school, he knew he wanted to become a journalist."
^"New York Red Bulls II Sign Former Bloomfield High Midfielder Michael Knapp", TAP into Bloomfield, April 23, 2021. Accessed May 4, 2021. "Former BHS soccer player, midfielder Michael Knapp, has been signed to a USL Championship contract by the New York Red Bulls II, pending federation and league approval."
^Callaghan, Martie. "Robert Pascal United Propane", Inside Annapolis, 2002. Accessed August 16, 2020. "'I grew up on the street corner where The Sopranos is being filmed,' Pascal says, 'and attended Bloomfield High School in Essex County.'"
^Tuite, James. "Mets Endure On Run In 7th, 1-0", The New York Times, April 25, 1982. Accessed January 10, 2012. "Bamberger was exulting over his decision to promote Charlie Puleo to a new four-pitcher rotation that also includes Pat Zachry, Mike Scott and Randy Jones. Puleo, a right-hander who attended Bloomfield (N.J.) High School and Seton Hall University, gave up only three hits in six and one-third innings."
^Nowlin, Bill. "Jack Robinson", Society for American Baseball Research. Accessed September 11, 2019 "Jack, the nickname he reported on his player questionnaire for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, attended the Demarest and Park Grammar Schools, then Bloomfield High School (graduating in 1939), and then spent a year at the Bordentown Military Institute."
^Lamb, Bill. "Don Savage, Society for American Baseball Research. Accessed May 2, 2021. "Donald Anthony Savage was born in Bloomfield, New Jersey, on March 5, 1919.... Don Savage first came to attention on the gridiron, playing halfback for Bloomfield High School, a New Jersey schoolboy powerhouse in the 1930s.... Despite a second knee injury suffered while playing short during his senior year, Savage received numerous college scholarship offers upon his high-school graduation in June 1937."
^Frankel, Jeff. "Bloomfield Bicentennial: Notable people"Archived August 11, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Bloomfield Life, October 26, 2012. Accessed December 22, 2014. "Sceurman has been in the publishing industry most of his life as a graphic designer, writer and behind the scenes in New Jersey music front, according to his biography. He still lives in Bloomfield with his wife Shirley and their daughter."
^Gould, Brandon. "Bloomfield native to lead play-by-play call of NCAA lacrosse final for ESPN", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, May 19, 2017. Accessed November 8, 2018. "After graduating from Bloomfield High School in 2000, Shroff decided that he wanted to become a broadcaster and follow in the footsteps of Bob Costas, Ian Eagle, Marv Albert and Len Berman."
^Frankel, Jeff. "Funeral set for Broncos quarterback Tripucka, formerly of Bloomfield"Archived October 3, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Bloomfield Life, September 13, 2013. Accessed September 15, 2013. "Funeral plans are set for Frank Tripucka, the Denver Broncos' first quarterback. He was a Bloomfield native.... Tripucka, 85, a 1945 Bloomfield High School graduate, died Thursday at his Woodland Park home."
^Frankel, Jeff. "Tripucka recalls the stadium that started it all"Archived March 24, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Bloomfield Life, March 4, 2011. Accessed January 10, 2012. "Frank Tripucka credits William Foley, Bloomfield High School's legendary football coach during the 1930s and 40s, for allowing him to enjoy a long, successful career in organized football."
