Located in the Ironbound district, East Side is the largest bilingual high school in Newark. The administration views its multiethnic student makeup as an opportunity to help all students, regardless of ethnicity, broaden their horizons and better prepare them for life in a global society. Students may choose to concentrate their studies by enrolling in any of three specialty Institutes: Business & Technology, Communications & Law and Science & Health.
The school offers an unusually broad athletic program for an urban school, including ice hockey and lacrosse. The school mascot is the Red Raider.