Black students, however, were automatically placed in the non-honors General Program, and were awarded “certificates of completion” instead of official high school diplomas.

[12] By the 1920s, the school's curriculum included Latin, French, "household," and fine arts in addition to core subjects such as mathematics, history, English, physical education, and science.

This period of time was also used for community service group meetings for sophomores, other extracurricular activities, and school-wide events such as pep rallies, the Fall Festival, and Spring Fling.

[24] Princeton High School offers over 100 extracurricular activities, including clubs, publications, competitive teams, and other organizations.

[35] The 1931 team won the Class B state title (since recategorized as Group III) with a 20-16 win against James Caldwell in the tournament final.

[43] The girls' lacrosse team won the overall state championship in 1985, defeating Moorestown High School in the tournament final.

[47] In 2023, the team won the program's first state title in Group IV after defeating Kearny High School by a score of 3-2 in the finals.

[49] The varsity girls' swim team won the 2007 NJSIAA Central - B state sectional championship with an 87–83 win over Ocean Township High School.

[50] They again beat Ocean Township High School in 2008 for the second year in a row, claiming their 6th consecutive NJSIAA Central - B sectional championship.

The 2009 boys' swimming team won the Central Jersey Group B Sectional title with a 99–71 win against Ocean Township High School.

[51] In 2011, the boys' swimming team won the Central Jersey Group B Sectional title with a 102–68 win against Freehold Borough High School.

[52] Following that, the team advanced to the NJSIAA Public B finals, ultimately losing to Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, 80–90.

This time the Princeton boys' swimming team won 109–61, giving them the NJSIAA Public B state champion title.

[54] In 2008, the varsity cheerleading squad competed in the Colonial Valley Conference Competition, and won Best Dance, first place in Medium Division and Overall Grand Champions.

The a cappella groups hold auditions at the end of each school year and admit a small number of new members.

Cloud Nine is all-female and sings across genres, often featuring new arrangements and occasionally original music that is released on a studio album each spring.

[66] More recent destinations include Austria, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Latvia, Estonia, and soon to be Southern Spain.

[67] The Choir toured Barcelona, Spain, in February 2011, appearing on national Spanish television as well as gaining special permission to perform in the Cathedral of Montserrat.

The Choir has been under five directors: Harvey Woodruff from 1944 to 1948, Thomas Hilbish from 1948 to 1965, William Trego from 1965 to 1993, Charles "Sunny" Sundquist from 1993 to 2008, Vincent Metallo from 2008 to present.

Their community service activities center around awareness campaigns, fundraising efforts, and purchasing foodstuffs in bulk for donations.

The Princeton High School Studio Band, directed by Joe Bongiovi, selects its members by audition only.

All Studio Band members are expected to excel in sight-reading, master finger positions, and be familiar with all techniques that apply to their instrument.

During those years the Studio Band had many successes, including playing at the inaugural balls of both Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush.

Like many other similar high school jazz festivals, the host band traditionally plays last and is not scored for competition.

Spectacle Theatre is currently directed by Pat Wray, the PHS drama teacher and former Broadway dancer and actress.

[76] The Spork staff writes and adapts recipes, reviews local restaurants, and publishes food-related features and articles.

The nameplate has changed significantly, with the original pencil drawing of the tower with The New York Times-style lettering continually removed and reinserted in between redesigns, but the current masthead dates to the eighties.

From 1990 to 1994, a rival "underground" newspaper called The Free Press published after a split between several potential editors of The Tower.

The gap between different groups in academic progress received greater attention in 2005 after the school failed the No Child Left Behind Act.

The New York Times ran an article entitled "The Achievement Gap in Elite Schools," by Samuel G. Freedman on September 28, 2005, which accused PHS of neglecting its responsibility to educate minorities.