# Alexander Hamilton Preparatory Academy

Alexander Hamilton Preparatory Academy (abbreviated as AHPA) is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Elizabeth, in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of Elizabeth Public Schools. The academy accepts students in ninth through twelfth grades in Elizabeth who have passed the requirements for enrollment. The academy is operated by the Elizabeth Board of Education. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 2013. The school's college-preparatory curriculum prepares students for four-year colleges and universities.
As of the 2023–24 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,022 students and 60.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 16.9:1. There were 639 students (62.5% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 173 (16.9% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.

## Awards, recognition and rankings

The school was the 46th-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 328 schools statewide according to U.S. News & World Report.
The school was the 204th-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 was the 303rd-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 328 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2012 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", the first time that the school was included in the magazine's rankings.

## Alexander Hamilton Preparatory 9th Grade Academy (80A)

The Alexander Hamilton Preparatory Academy 9th Grade Academy (80A) is located at 1003 North Broad Street. This 9th Grade Annex holds an approximate of 280-300 ninth grade students. The school has 12 rooms. This school was a former Catholic Church School. Once the ninth grade students finish Freshman year, they will be transferred from the Hamilton Annex to the Hamilton Main located at 310 Cherry Street.

## History

Alexander Hamilton Preparatory Academy (formally known as Alexander Hamilton Junior High School No. 2. or Alexander Hamilton Middle School) was established on September 9, 2009 (as a high school). Alexander Hamilton Middle School defunct in 2007 as per "the Transformation Plan" that removed all middle schools and split the high school to six smaller high schools in the Elizabeth Public School District. The new Alexander Hamilton Preparatory Academy was then transformed into the High School it is today during the summer of 2008. Alexander Hamilton Junior High School No. 2 (Alexander Hamilton Middle School in 2007), which had been constructed in 1924 to replace the Cherry Street School after it was demolished. The school was named after Alexander Hamilton, a one-time Elizabeth resident who served as the first Secretary of the Treasury and a Revolutionary War Leader who once resided and attended a school in Elizabeth back when the city was known as Elizabethtown.

## Curriculum

Alexander Hamilton Preparatory Academy selects students with a grade point average of 2.0 or higher, who demonstrate academic potential and are committed to preparing for post-secondary education. Students will comply with a rigorous academic course sequence which includes: four years of English, three years of Mathematics, three years of Science, two years of Social Studies, two years of World Language, one year of an art, and two years of an AVID course.

## Academic and elective courses

Alexander Hamilton Preparatory Academy offers major courses for students such as English I, II, II, Geometry, Algebra II, Pre-Calculus, Probability and Statistics, and plenty of Science classes such as Biology, Chemistry, Physics, AP Computer Science (AP (Advanced Placement) College Classes) As a new independent high school, the academy is beginning to offer a few Advanced Placement Programs (AP) classes for students who wish take them for Course credit also known as college credits. Elective classes are also offered such as the fine arts, music, and business.
Advanced Placement courses offered include AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature, AP Spanish Language and Culture, AP Spanish Literature, AP United States History, AP United States Government and Politics, AP Human Geography, AP African American Studies, AP Macro and Micro Economics, AP Calculus AB, AP Computer Science A, AP Statistics, AP Chemistry, AP Environmental Sciences and AP Biology. There are three foreign language courses available for students to take as an elective. Portuguese I, Spanish I & II, and Italian I & II. All students must have taken two years of a world language to obtain their credits.
Electives available for students to choose are Dance I, Drama I, Black Studies, Economics, Computer Science and Drawing and Painting I & II. There are more electives offered at Alexander Hamilton Preparatory Academy, as well as the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) class which is a required course for every student.

## Regulations

Students enrolled in the AHPA are expected to comply with all rules, regulations and policies of the Academy and the district. Students will be required to wear school uniforms, perform community service (60 hours in total in order to graduate), and take ownership in the AVID program. The combination of rigorous and relevant courses, a variety of elective subjects, and the philosophy of the AVID program give students the opportunity to excel in high school and beyond.
In order for a student to qualify for graduation, they must complete 160 credits and perform 60 hours of community service by their senior year, 25 of which must be completed during senior year.

## AVID

The Alexander Hamilton Preparatory Academy integrates a rigorous curriculum with the philosophies of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program. AVID is a research-based instructional model that encourages students to prepare for and participate in a challenging college preparatory curriculum. In addition to enrolling in honors and AP level courses, students will receive academic support through a specially designed AVID elective, taught by AVID-trained instructors.

## Clubs and organizations

* Student Government Association
* Multicultural Club
* Yearbook Committee
* Art Club
* Key Club
* Chess and Games Club
* AVID Leadership Club
* SEL Club
* Gay Straight Alliance Club
* STEM Club
* The National Honor Society
* After School Tutoring

## Athletics

The Alexander Hamilton Preparatory Academy does not have its own athletic teams. Instead the students participate in sports that represent the whole city of Elizabeth not just one academy. Students from all the Elizabeth Academies including Elizabeth High School are all on one sports team competing against other schools outside the city.