It operated under the supervision of the Archdiocese of Newark[5] and was affiliated for much of its history with St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church,[6] which owns the building.

[citation needed] Beginning in the 1960s under Bob Hurley Sr., the school was known for its boys' basketball program, which won the state championship nearly every year and produced a number of successful NBA players.

In September 2016 Patrick Villanova of The Jersey Journal wrote that St. Anthony "is seemingly always on the brink of closure, considering the razor thin margins.

[11][12] Increasing expenses were linked to the hiring of non-teaching order educators, and Bob Cook wrote in Forbes that gentrification may have contributed to the school's decline.

[13] In efforts to reverse the decision of the school's looming closure, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced a challenge during an April 2017 appearance on radio station WFAN.

The 1984 girls basketball team won the Non-Public Group B state championship, defeating Wildwood Catholic High School by a score of 59–46 in the tournament final.