The school was the 305th-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 232nd in the state of 328 schools in 2012, after being ranked 315th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed. The magazine ranked the school 308th in 2008 out of 316 schools. The school was ranked 276th in the magazine's September 2006 issue, which surveyed 316 schools across the state.
History
The current building housing Orange High School is the fourth site used for the school, in three different parts of the city. The first, dedicated on September 13, 1869, was located next to the First Church of Orange. The second site was located at Main and Cleveland Streets. The third is now being used as Orange Middle School. The fourth, and current site, was dedicated on October 7, 1973, after opening to students on September 5 of that year.
Athletics
The Orange High School Tornadoes compete in the Super Essex Conference, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. With 875 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2015-16 school year as North II, Group III for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 778 to 1,062 students in that grade range. Prior to the 2010 realignment, the school had been in the Skyline Division of the Northern Hills Conference, an athletic conference that had consisted of private and public high schools located in Essex, Morris and Passaic County counties. The school colors are orange and black. The boys' basketball team won the Group IV state championship in 1948, in Group III in 1968 and 1994, in Group II in 1977 and 1979 and 1988, and in Group I in 1974 in 1976 ; the eight state titles are tied for third-most among public school programs. In 1994, the boys' basketball team captured their first Tournament of Champions trophy by defeating Paterson Catholic High School, giving the Tornadoes a No. 1 ranking in NJ, and national rank of No. 11 in USA Today. The team was coached by alumnus Al Thompson.
Music
Orange High School is home to the Mighty Marching Tornadoes marching band and award-winning elite choir, Voices in Harmony, in addition to local musical rap group by the name of the SoundBox Banditz who were noticed for writing a song about an Orange High School teacher who had been laid off due to New Jersey's educational budget cuts in 2010.
Administration
The school's principal is Jason Belton. His administration team includes four assistant principals.
