[4] Community High School was founded in 1968 in Demarest, New Jersey, and was a pioneer in teaching learning-disabled students.

It became one of the largest programs in the region to provide for students in need of special education.

Shortly before 8:30 AM on March 13, 1998, a 17-year-old student from Manhattan set a fire in a second floor bathroom, which quickly spread through the building's open attic of the building, fanned by strong winds that day.

All students, teachers and administrators were safely evacuated and no one was harmed, but the school's 67-year-old main building burnt to the ground and supplies and equipment inside were destroyed, though books and materials in an adjoining wing that had been added on to the original structure survived the fire.

As of the 2007 school year the coach of Community High School's boys' basketball team, had worked to build a cohesive team from a group of teens who struggle with attention deficit disorder, dyslexia and social delays.