[2] Built in 1932 in Colonial Revival style, a product of the New Deal Era, the high school opened to students in September of that year and graduated its first class the following June.

[20][21][22] Prior to realignment that took effect in the fall of 2010, Pompton Lakes was part of the smaller Bergen-Passaic Scholastic League (BPSL).

[27] The Cardinals have won the Passaic County title 14 times,[28] most recently in 2008 when they beat Wayne Hills High School 1-0 in the final.

[33] The team won the Group I state championship in 2024, with a 14–4 win against Point Pleasant Beach High School in the finals to finish the season with a 26–4 record.

[36] Down 14-0 at halftime, the 1982 team pulled ahead with four touchdowns in the second half to defeat Mahwah High School by a score of 28-14 in the North I Group I sectional championship game and finish the season at 11-0.

[38] In 2005, the football team won the North I, Group I title, defeating Hasbrouck Heights High School 27-7 in the championship game played at Giants Stadium.

[43] The 2017 team won the Group I state championship with a 3-2 win against Glassboro High School on a goal scored one minute into overtime.

[44] The 2001 boys' tennis team won the North I, Group II over Rutherford High School 3½-1½ in the tournament final.

[50][51] The boys' track and field team won the 2006 and 2007 North I, Group I state sectional championships tying Hasbrouck Heights High School in 2006 and winning outright with 65 points in 2007.

[52] The girls' tennis team won the 2007 North I, Group I state sectional championship with a 4-1 win over New Milford High School.

[57] Selected for its "beautiful auditorium, a great gymnasium" and other aesthetic qualities, the high school was used extensively as a filming location for the 1997 movie In & Out starring Kevin Kline.