Using these figures, the high school is currently operating at about 43.5% of its original capacity. If we look only at Hoboken resident students (515), the effective utilization by local enrollment is closer to 34% of capacity.
10-year projection model (summary)
Using current Enrollment:
Resident students (9–12): 515
CHOICE students (9–12): 137
Total 9–12: 652
Building capacity: 1,500
To understand what the next decade might look like, a simple projection model was developed using three scenarios:
Status Quo (no growth): Total enrollment remains at 652 students. Utilization stays at 43.5% of capacity over the entire 10-year period.
Modest Growth (+1% per year): Even if total enrollment grows by 1% annually, the high school would enroll about 720 students in ten years—only 48% of building capacity.
Modest Decline (−1% per year): With a 1% annual decline, total enrollment would fall to about 590 students, or roughly 39% of capacity.
Across all three scenarios, the high school remains significantly underutilized relative to its original design. This persistent under-enrollment has implications for operating efficiency (heating, maintenance, and staffing a large facility), as well as for long-term planning around capital improvements, academic programming, and potential alternative uses of space.
These findings do not prescribe a particular course of action, but they do suggest that facility utilization should be a central consideration in upcoming strategic and budget discussions. Options such as reconfiguring grade spans, expanding or reconsidering CHOICE and magnet offerings, consolidating programs, or repurposing portions of the building could be explored in light of both current and projected enrollment.
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| 10 Year Projections- 3 Different Models Click to Enlarge |
Is Hoboken High School being fully utilized?
No — far from it.
At 34–44% utilization, the building is operating at less than half of its intended capacity.
Key implications:
The facility is significantly under-enrolled relative to the size it was designed for.
Operational costs (heating, maintenance, staffing, utilities) are likely much higher per student than in a right-sized building.
Enrollment patterns suggest a shrinking or shifting student population, especially at upper grades (see chart below).
CLICK TO ENLARGE
* Since the original construction, the Hoboken Board of Education has reported varying capacity numbers for the high school building. These capacity numbers can be found in the yearly audit reports. Regardless of which enrollment capacity numbers are used, the high school building is underutilized.
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| 2024 Hoboken District Audit Report CLICK TO ENLARGE |
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| 1962 Hoboken High School Brochure CLICK TO ENLARGE |
