Antipolo National High School (ANHS) is a public secondary school located in Antipolo City, Rizal in the Philippines.
Antipolo National High School traces its beginnings to August 23, 1971, when it opened as Antipolo Municipal High School with an initial enrollment of 400 students supported by 10 teachers and one janitor. The creation of the school was initiated by former city councilor Antonio Masaquel during the administration of Mayor Jose Oliveros, who oversaw the leasing of a two-storey building containing ten classrooms to serve as the first campus.
The school’s first administrator, Lamberto San Esteban, a former district supervisor, led the institution until his death in May 1972. His duties were then assumed by Magtangol Del Rosario, who headed the school until 1981. Upon his departure, his assistant, Melinda D. Gedang, took over as principal and guided the school through a period of significant growth in enrollment and improvement of facilities.
Gedang served until her retirement in 2002, after which Dr. Corazon S. Laserna became principal. Her administration emphasized academic excellence and character formation, further strengthening the school’s academic programs. In 2013, she was succeeded by Adelaida A. San Diego, who introduced a results-focused and action-oriented leadership approach.
By the 2014–2015 school year, Antipolo National High School had grown into the largest public secondary school in the Division of Antipolo City, with a population of 9,510 students. Most of its learners were accommodated on the main 2.18-hectare campus, while additional students attended classes in its extension campuses in Canumay, Kaysakat, and Dela Paz. [1]
Over the years, Antipolo National High School served as the mother school for several annexes located in different barangays of Antipolo City. Many of these satellite campuses were later converted into independent public secondary schools through various acts of Congress.
On July 17, 2009, Republic Act No. 9663 was enacted, separating the Cupang Annex and converting it into the Cupang National High School. Subsequently, on May 14, 2010, two additional annexes were granted independence through legislation passed by the 14th Congress. Republic Act No. 10111 created the San Roque National High School from the Rolloqui and Reyes Annexes, while Republic Act No. 10112 established the Maximo L. Gatlabayan Memorial National High School from the Paenaan Annex in Barangay San Jose.
Another annex gained autonomy on June 3, 2010, when Republic Act No. 10131 transformed the Sapinit Annex in Barangay San Juan into the San Juan National High School.
Although not part of Antipolo City, Republic Act No. 10329, passed on November 15, 2012, also carried the name “Antipolo National High School.” This act separated the Antipolo Annex of Minalabac National High School in Camarines Sur, converting it into an independent school likewise named Antipolo National High School, but located in a different province.
These legislative measures significantly reshaped the structure of Antipolo National High School, establishing multiple daughter schools and reducing the size of the original campus as the city’s educational system expanded. [2]
In 2022, Antipolo National High School was included among the public and private schools authorized by the Department of Education to resume limited face-to-face instruction under the Progressive Expansion of Face-to-Face Classes program. According to the DepEd–DOH Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1, s. 2022 and DepEd Order No. 017, s. 2022, ANHS met all required health and safety standards and received a Safety Seal from the department. The school was approved for participation on March 25, 2022, and officially began conducting expanded in-person classes on March 28, 2022, as part of the nationwide reopening of schools for School Year 2021–2022. [3]
Antipolo National High School has a chess club that is part of ANHS DASIG (a Cebuano word meaning "take courage, hold on, never give up"). Some members of the ANHS Chess Club are also registered under FIDE. [4]