The high school opened in 2001 with an enrollment of 160 students, as one of three themed academy programs opened that year. The school had occupied several leased sites, the final one being the former
Don Bosco Technical High School, which was then purchased by the
New Jersey Schools Construction Corporation (SCC) in May 2004 for $6.3 million to house students while buildings it was developing were being constructed. The school's new , four-story building opened in September 2008 for its 420 students, a few days after school started, due to some last-minute delays. The SCC estimated that the building would cost $31.9 million (equivalent to $ million in ) when it was first proposed in 2001. By the time the building was completed in 2008, the final cost had ballooned to roughly $49 million (equivalent to $ million in ), which included millions of dollars in design, remediation, and site acquisition that were not included in the approved funding. The
New Jersey Schools Development Authority (successor to the SCC), awarded a $35.5 million construction contract in 2006, with technology upgrades adding $3 million, and another $2 million for environmental work and demolition. Problems with the fire alarm system were anticipated to take several weeks to resolve after the building opened, and Paterson fire marshals were paid $1,500 per day to patrol the school until the problems with the system were resolved. The new building includes a two-floor library, four science labs, five soundproof music practice rooms, two gymnasiums and an outdoor athletic field, a 500-seat auditorium and 15 classrooms. The new facility, which was nestled into a steep hill underneath and next to
Interstate 80, has
triple pane windows to keep out the noise from the highway. ==Awards, recognition and rankings==