The school's student body was 56 percent black in 1975 and 84 percent black by 1979, during the continued white flight in the city through the 1970s.[2]
Athletics
The boys' soccer team won the Group III state championship in 1964 (defeating River Dell High School in the tournament final) and was Group II co-champion in 1981 (with Moorestown High School).[3] The 1964 team had a 12-2-2 record after winning the Group III title following a 2-1 win against River Dell in the championship game.[4]
The boys' basketball team won the Group II state championship in 1972, defeating Ocean City High School in the tournament final.[5]
The boys track team won the Group II spring / outdoor track state championship in 1974.[6]
The girls team won the NJSIAA spring track Group II title in 1978, and won the Group III title in 1981 and 1984.[7]
The girls track team won the indoor relay championship in Group II in 1982 and the Group II title in 1983-1987. The program's six group titles are tied for fifth-most in the state and the string of five consecutive titles from 1983 to 1987 are the second-longest such streak.[8]
^Fitzgerald's Legislative Manual. 1984. p. 254. Retrieved February 10, 2020. Stephen A. Mikulak, Rep, Woodbridge - Assemblyman Mikulak was born in East Orange Oct. 15, 1948. He was graduated from Vailsburg High School in Newark in 1966.