HOBOKEN, NJ — The Hoboken Board of Education announced Tuesday that due to enrollment increases and the aging of the district's school buildings, the district will present plans for a new high school to the city's Planning Board next month.
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There will also be a special election regarding funding for the plans in January.
The district's existing high school, built in 1962, is located on Clinton Street, on the west side of town. And the former high school that Frank Sinatra attended in Hoboken in the 1930s, Demarest High School, is currently serving as Hoboken Middle School. It was dedicated in 1911.
The board said that district enrollment has been growing since 2015, reversing a trend from the previous decades.
As of October 2020, the district had 2,667 "regular on roll full-time" students, according to school documents, as well as another 381 full-time special education students, for a total of 3,048 students.
"The district has been focused on integration of the community and service to the community as part of our educational goals. We are thrilled to present to the community a facilities project, including a new high school, that will meet the needs of our growing population," said the board in its message.
The mile-square town has 53,000 residents, including many young families.
It added, "Our academic programs and will provide recreation space that the entire community
will be able to enjoy. We are extremely proud that this project reflects our wider goal of bridging our school community to the broader Hoboken community."
Plans will be presented to the Planning Board next month. The special election will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022.
When asked on Wednesday where the building might go, and for more specifics of the referendum, Board of Education President Sharyn Angley said the board could not yet comment further on the plan.
The full message read:
Dear families of the Hoboken Public School District,
As has been widely discussed, District enrollment is on the rise. Since 2015, enrollment has grown, while our facilities, many of them built before 1910, have remained static. With enrollment increases and the general age of the District's existing buildings, long range facilities planning has been a top priority. In addition, the District has been focused on integration of the community and service to the community as part of our educational goals.
We are thrilled to present to the community a facilities project, including a new high school, that will meet the needs of our growing population, our academic programs and will provide recreation space that the entire community will be able to enjoy. We are extremely proud that this project reflects our wider goal of bridging our school community to the broader Hoboken community.
Project plans will be presented to the Hoboken Planning Board in early December and community meetings will be open to the public in December as well. The special election will take place on Tuesday, January 25, 2022.
The Hoboken Board of Education
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