[4][5] The constituent municipalities are largely filled with single-family homes and populated by individuals with high socioeconomic characteristics.
In February 1958, the Regional Board of Education was elected by the voters, with Wallace S. Jones of Essex Fells as its first president.
A Citizens School Curriculum Advisory Committee was formed which recommended that College Preparatory, General Academic, and Commercial programs should be offered to students based on the approach of offering "education for all, excellence of performance though self-discipline, independent thinking, and a sense of 'true values'", with a staff of high quality, adequate guidance, the grouping of students, availability of electives, insistence on effective English, and a broad extracurricular program.
The site is located between Grandview and Passaic Avenues, directly north of Greenbrook Road, about 25 miles (40 km) outside of New York City.
[15] A December 1958 referendum decided upon by voters in each of the four communities proposed a $4.5 million bond (equivalent to $47.5 million in 2023) that would be used to pay for construction of the new school facility to be available for use in September 1960, as the Caldwell-West Caldwell District had indicated that it was unwilling to accommodate any students at Grover Cleveland High School from outside the district after that date due to overcrowding.
[17][18] West Essex Regional High School provides many opportunities for students, from theater productions to sports teams to service clubs.
[29] The team was the 2010 league champs and McInnis Cup champions, with an 8-0 win against Nutley High School in the championship game.
[34] The field hockey team lost the 2006 Tournament of Champions, falling to Eastern High School by a 2–1 score.
[35] In 2007, the team won the North I, Group II state sectional championship with a 4–1 win over Newton High School in the tournament final.
[38] A crowd of more than 7,000 at Giants Stadium watch the 1980 team finish the season with a 10-1 record after winning the North II Group IV state sectional championship game by a score of 22-7 against Belleville High School.
[41][42] The 2011 football team won the North I, Group II title with a 32–14 win over River Dell High School at MetLife Stadium.
[43][44] In 2017, the football team won the North II Group III state sectional championship with a 28-14 win against third-seeded Voorhees High School in the final game of the tournament playoff.
[48] The girls' tennis team won the Group III state championship in 1993, defeating Ocean Township High School in the tournament final.
[50] The girls' lacrosse team won the Group II state championship in 2009, defeating Hopewell Valley Central High School in the tournament final.
[53][54] The boys' lacrosse team made a 2004 appearance in state championship, 2004 Waterman Division Champions, 2004 Essex County Tournament finalists, Ranked number 4 in New Jersey in 2004.
[citation needed] The girls' soccer team won the 2005 North I Group II state sectional championships, Essex County champion and ranked 20th overall in New Jersey.
2 seed Mount St. Dominic Academy by a score of 2–0 in the championship game), 2009 Iron Hills Conference Champions, 2010 North II Group II sectional champion (winning all four playoff games by shutout, including an 8-0 win over Rutherford High School in the tournament final),[55] Ranked No.
[57][58] In 2010, the baseball team defeated Audubon High School in the tournament final to win the Group II state championship.
The Marching Knights' 2009 show "Into the Unknown" earned the title of Chapter 10 Champions and finished a school high of 5th with a score of 92.90 at the Atlantic Coast Championships.
In 2016, the West Essex Marching Knights ranked 1st place for the first time in school history with a score of 94.405 along with best percussion, outranking 15 others.
In the first episode of the show, a character mentions he attended the high school shortly before being murdered by Christopher Moltisanti over a garbage disposal dispute.