[6] The school building, originally constructed in 1911 and expanded on three occasions, covers a total of 302,000 square feet (28,100 m2) of space.

A 2005 analysis performed as part of the district's Long Range Facilities Plan recommended construction of a new building and conversion of the existing structure into an elementary school.

[11] The East Side High School Red Raiders[2] compete in the Super Essex Conference, which is comprised of public and private high schools in Essex County and was established following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).

[14] The football team competes in the Liberty Red division of the North Jersey Super Football Conference, which includes 112 schools competing in 20 divisions, making it the nation's biggest football-only high school sports league.

Led by future NBA guard Randy Foye, the 2002 team defeated Shawnee by a score of 50–47 to win the Group IV championship game played at the Louis Brown Athletic Center[26] and came into the Tournament of Champions as the third seed, defeating sixth-seeded Burlington City High School 90–70 in the quarterfinals before falling to Neptune High School by a score of 71–63 in the semis to finish the season at 29–2, losing their first game of the season to ToC champion St. Anthony High School and their last game to ToC runner-up Neptune.

[29] The 2019 team won the Group IV title with a 69–44 win against Freehold Township in the championship game.

"[33][34] By the end of June, the district changed its mind about the photo, issuing a statement in which it apologized to Jackson, stated that copies of the yearbook would be reissued and affirming that the district respects its diversity and "supports all our students, regardless of race, gender, ethnic background or sexual orientation".