Malcolm X Shabazz High School


Malcolm X Shabazz High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Newark Public Schools. Founded as
South Side High School in 1914, the school was renamed in 1972 in memory of Malcolm X.
As of the 2018–19 school year, the school had an enrollment of 423 students and 36.0 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 11.8:1. There were 296 students eligible for free lunch and 6 eligible for reduced-cost lunch.

Rankings

The school was the 310th-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. The school had been ranked 291st in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 314th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 296th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 312th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state. Malcolm X Shabazz has scored 20.4 and 46.1 in the High School Proficiency Assessment test results in the subjects of math and language arts respectively.

Athletics

The Malcolm X Shabazz High School Bulldogs compete in the Super Essex Conference, which includes schools in Essex County and operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. With 450 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2015–16 school year as North II, Group I for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 73 to 457 students in that grade range. The school had previously participated in the Watchung Conference, which included high schools in Essex County, Hudson County and Union County in northern New Jersey. Varsity sports include basketball, volleyball, track and field, football, soccer, wrestling, golf, baseball and softball.
The girls' basketball team won the Group III state championship in 1983, 2003 and 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, the Group II title in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, and won the Group I title in 2014 ; the 11 state championships and 14 appearances by the girls' basketball program in title games are the most of any public school in the state and the five consecutive titles from 2010 to 2014 is tied for the longest streak by a public school program. The boys' basketball team won the Group III state championship in 1979, 1995, 1997, 2001 and 2005, and the 2010 Group II title ; as South Side High School, the boys' basketball team won the Group III title in 1962, 1965, 1969 and 1971. The girls' basketball team won the 2003 Tournament of Champions, defeating Marlboro High School 48–45 in the tournament final.
The boys' basketball team won the 2001 North II, Group III state sectional title with a 56–45 win against Cranford High School. The team won the 2005 Group III state championship, defeating Ramapo High School 64–59 in the semifinals and Camden High School 76–58 in the championship game. The team won the 2006 North II Group III state championships. In the Group III state tournament, the team knocked off North I Group III champion Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan 77–68 in the semifinals, before falling to Hamilton High School 66–34 in the Group III championship game at Rutgers University.
The football team won the North II Group I state sectional championship in 2014. The team defeated Dunellen High School by a score of 14–6 to win the program's first championship and the first title for a Newark high school since 2007. In 2017, the team defeated the top-seeded Weequahic High School by a score of 35-0 in the North II Group I state sectional final played at Kean University, in a rematch of the 2016 final that had been won by Weequahic.

The Future Project

According to Ted Dintersmith and Tony Wagner, the authors of the book Most Likely to Succeed: Preparing Our Kids for the Innovation Era, Divine Bradley of The Future Project and the school's principal, Gemar Mills, worked together to address what they described as one of the "country's most troubled high schools". The school was being considered for closure, and when Mills joined in 2011 there had been four principals in as many years. The city's schools had been part of an unsuccessful $100 million effort to improve the schools.
According to Dintersmith and Wagner, Shabazz High School students are being prepared to be successful through innovative methods. Divine reaches out to students on an individual basis and asks, "What's something big and bold you'd like to do with your life to make your world better? I'm here to help you." Dintersmith and Wagner state that "Most students have never been asked about life goals before. As a result of this kind of engagement, students at Shabazz rise to challenges, take on ambitious projects, and approach education and life with newfound purpose." School attendance has improved and students participate in programs during lunch, and outside of school hours, like classes that develop writing, communication, and collaboration skills.

Administration

The school's principal is Naseed Gifted. His administration team includes three vice principals.

Notable alumni