As of the 2013–14 school year, the school had an enrollment of 356 students and 26.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.7:1. The school's enrollment was 49.2% White, 18.3% Asian, 17.7% Hispanic, 6.2% Black, 3.9% Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander and 4.8% two or more races.[3]
History
In 1999, William "Sonny" Connors, grandfather to Derek Jeter and longtime head of school maintenance, died.[7] In honor of Sonny's service to Queen of Peace, the Jeter family, through Jeter's Turn2 Foundation, started the Connors/Jeter Scholarship Fund. This fund was started to help exceptional, well-rounded students from Queen of Peace and to memorialize Derek's grandfather, William "Sonny" Connors, with two students meeting the criteria of academic and community accomplishments being chosen each year as recipients.[8]
On January 4, 2007, several Queen of Peace students traveled to Rome in order to sing in a private audience to Pope Benedict XVI.
In February 2013, the school attracted national attention when it asked the girls of the school to take a pledge not to curse for 30 days as the school wanted "ladies to act like ladies", though male students at the school were asked not to swear "in the presence of ladies" and were not required to take an oath.[9]
Circa 2016 the school administration announced that it needed $1 million raised for it to remain open. Ultimately about $1,035,000 was raised and the school stayed open for another school year.[10] The necessary money was generated in approximately one month.[11]
Despite the 2016 fundraising campaign, in May 2017, the Archdiocese of Newark announced the closing of the school as of June 30, 2017, in the wake of sharply dropping enrollment and financial challenges, though the affiliated K-8 grammar school will remain open.[12]
St. Mary High School filed a complaint against Queen of Peace High School with the NJSIAA in 2007, claiming that a new wrestling program run by former Gaels coach Scot Weaver at Queen of Peace would induce St. Mary's wrestlers to transfer schools.[18]
The boys cross country running team won the Non-Public Group B state championship in 1970 and 1971.[19]
The boys track team won the Non-Public Group B spring / outdoor track state championship in 1971, 1972, 1974 and 1977.[20]
The 1980 boys' soccer team finished the season with a 14-4-3 record after winning the NJSIAA Boys Non-Public A state championship, defeating runner-up Notre Dame High School by a score of 1-0 in the tournament finals.[21][22]
The girls track team won the indoor track Group I state championship in 2003 and 2005.[24]
The football team won the Non-Public Group II state sectional championship in 2004 with a 35-20 win against DePaul Catholic High School in the finals of the playoff.[25][26] The 1989 Golden Griffins were the last football team to win the Bergen County Scholastic League championship. As BCSL American Division Champions, the Griffins went on to play Bergen Catholic in the NJSIAA Parochial School state playoffs.
^"CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department", Journal Inquirer, November 16, 2006. "The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve."
^"Viers Mill School Wins Blue Ribbon; School Scored High on Statewide Test", The Washington Post. September 29, 2005 "For their accomplishments, all three schools this month earned the status of Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor the U.S. Education Department can bestow upon a school."
^TURN 2 Endowed Scholarship Programs, Major League Baseball. Accessed February 4, 2013. "The Derek Jeter/Sonny Connors Scholars is available to students entering Queen of Peace High School in North Arlington, N.J., who demonstrate financial need. The scholarship is available to two students who show leadership qualities, academic and individual excellence, and who participate in community service projects."
^Grant, Meghan. "It's official: Queen of Peace High School to close in June", The Record, May 8, 2017. Accessed May 9, 2017. "The class of 2017 will be the last to graduate from the 86-year-old Queen of Peace High School. The school, which raised $1 million in just over a month last year to stay open, will be closing its doors at the end of June, the Archdiocese of Newark announced Monday.Archdiocese officials said the Catholic high school in North Arlington would cease operations as of June 30, due to low projected enrollment and 'financial shortfalls.' The K-8 Queen of Peace Grammar School will remain open."
^Glovin, David. "Schools basking in Glow of Top Award", The Record, May 28, 1998. Accessed May 30, 2007. "Forgive Queen of Peace High School for skirting the Bible's teachings....And is also a waste of money. For the second time in five years, this small parochial school in North Arlington at the southern tip of Bergen County has won recognition from the U.S. Department of Education...."
^"E. Christian, Queensmen take State championships", The Record, November 23, 1980. Accessed February 1, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "The Northern New Jersey Parochial Conference must have learned the secret to winning State championships in soccer.... And another NNJPC team, Queen of Peace, nipped Notre Dame, 1-0, in the Parochial A final, giving the Queensmen their first State championship.... It's only the second year for varsity soccer at Queen of Peace, but the Queensmen (14-4-3) put on a defensive display to hold off Notre Dame for their first Parochial A championship."
^Barton, Rich. "Lamego and Q of P finish off four years of hard work", North Jersey Sports, December 5, 2004. Accessed October 26, 2020. "Facing a red-hot DePaul Catholic squad and an early deficit in the Parochial Group 2 state championship game at Rip Collins Field on Saturday afternoon, Lamego took the team on his shoulders and was not about to let his last scholastic game end in heartbreak.... On the other side of the ball Lamego had six tackles, forced a fumble, tipped two passes that turned into interceptions, and topped it off by scoring the Golden Griffins' final three touchdowns to Q of P its first state championship under the current playoff system with a 35-20 victory."
^Stile, Charles. "Donovan wasn't a match", The Record, July 21, 2009. Accessed March 29, 2011. "Donovan's roots are in the South Bergen soil, first as a graduate of Queen of Peace High School in North Arlington and later as a lawyer in her hometown of Lyndhurst."
^Bishop, Greg. "From Hard Knocks to Crunch Time: Packers' Grant Began Career as Giant", The New York Times, January 17, 2008. Retrieved September 6, 2011. "The new assistant football coach reported for work at Queen of Peace High School in North Arlington, N.J., before the 2006 season.... So when coaches told players the name of the new assistant — Ryan Grant — they were met with blank stares."
