[7] The high school was constructed at a cost of $8.2 million (equivalent to $56.3 million in 2023) and a design capacity of 965 students, with a building that featured many large roof spans above open spaces and unusually shaped rooms that added substantially to the cost above those of other facilities constructed at the same time for comparable numbers of students.

[11] The school was ranked 179th in the nation and 13th in New Jersey on the list of "America's Best High Schools 2012" prepared by The Daily Beast / Newsweek, with rankings based primarily on graduation rate, matriculation rate for college and number of Advanced Placement / International Baccalaureate courses taken per student, with lesser factors based on average scores on the SAT / ACT, average AP/IB scores and the number of AP/IB courses available to students.

However, the gymnasium's length is three feet short of the minimum that is required to host varsity basketball games and the kitchen has never been used because it was constructed without the proper ventilation systems.

Because of the open space Holmdel houses, the several dozen acres behind the school contain soccer, baseball, softball, field hockey, lacrosse, football, tennis, and track sports areas.

It was renovated as part of a project that began in 2006, which included the construction of a new six-lane track and a synthetic turf to replace the existing grass field.

The students of Holmdel participate in a variety of activities, ranging from sports to academic clubs to artistic organizations on campus.

[24] The TV Society also won the 2011 NJM BIANJ Award for its public service announcement, "Don't Press Send Until Your Ride Ends".

Each year, it hosts three major productions, including a fall drama, winter musical, and a one-act play festival in the spring.

It is responsible for approving/denying fundraisers, dealing with club and organization issues, and serving as a liaison between the administration and the student body.

The band program offered in Holmdel High School has won numerous awards from various festivals and ranked competitions.

[33] The 1999 team won against Pascack Hills High School 4-1 in the semis and defeated Chatham 3-2 in the tournament finals at Mercer County Park.

[39] The 2018 team won the program's fourth consecutive Group II title with a 4-1 win against Haddonfield in the finals at Mercer County Park.

[41][42] In 1998 and 1999, the boys' basketball team won back-to-back Group II state championships by defeating West Morris Mendham High School both seasons.

[43] The 1998 team won the program's first state title with a 67-52 against West Morris Mendham in the Group II championship game.

[44] The team won its second consecutive Group II title in 1999 with a 55-51 win against West Morris Mendham in the tournament final at the Atlantic City Convention Hall.

[46] In 2001, the baseball team won the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II state sectional championship, beating Spotswood High School by a score of 7–1.

[48] In 2007, the field hockey team won the Central Jersey Group II sectional championship with a 2–1 win over Allentown High School in the tournament final.

[50] In 2006, the boys' soccer team won the North II Group III state sectional championship, beating Voorhees High School 4–2, before losing in the Group III state championship game by a score of 3–0 to Ramapo High School.

[51] In 2010, the team finished the season with a 22-1 record, having won the Group III title, the program's first, with a 2–1 win over Chatham in the championship game.

[53][54] The 2018 team won the program's third state title and second in two years after a 3-1 win against Glen Rock in the Group II finals, to finish the season 22-0-1.

[55] Holmdel girls' soccer varsity won the NJSIAA Group II state championship in 2014, the program's first, with a 1–0 victory in the tournament final against Ramapo High School.

[56][57] While attending an off-site pre-season football training camp in the summer of 1989 at Camp Green Lane located in Pennsylvania, senior members of the Holmdel Hornets Football team were alleged to have committed acts of "hazing," forcing underclassmen (mostly sophomores) to remove their clothing and play a game of Twister.

As a result of the incident, all of the school's 85 football players reportedly were ordered to undergo mental health counseling.

[61] In Fall 2005, six-year head football coach Joe O'Connor stepped down in protest against the school administration's reinstatement of a player he had dismissed from the team.

[62] In October 2013, Laurie Cancalosi, an openly gay physical education teacher at Holmdel, was awarded $800,000 in a wrongful termination lawsuit that also alleged that the district had created a hostile work environment.