A Fairfield high school approved for 90 students is packing in 313, and the township has had enough. The Islamic Education Foundation's Al-Ghazaly High School has received zoning violation notices and summonses after officials determined the Passaic Avenue campus is operating more than three times over its permitted capacity, and the matter is set to proceed in municipal court.
The property at 369 Passaic Avenue previously functioned as a county-run reform and alternative school approved for a maximum of 90 students and 40 staff, according to the Township of Fairfield. When the Islamic Education Foundation acquired the building in early 2025, it received a certificate of occupancy to operate under those same prior county approvals, according to reporting by New Jersey Hills Media Group. By September, Al-Ghazaly was enrolling 313 students, a number Hayat Jaludi, executive director of the Islamic Education Foundation of New Jersey, confirmed at an October 13 board meeting, per the same outlet's account.
Fire Inspection Clears the Building, But Not the Zoning Problem
Fairfield cannot simply shut the doors, even though the school is wildly over its approved headcount. An emergency inspection by the Fairfield Fire Official on October 14 found no immediate code violations that would justify an emergency shutdown, concluding that the 42,000-square-foot facility can physically accommodate the current enrollment despite the zoning breach, per the township's own documentation. That finding creates a legal gap: fire safety and zoning authorization are separate questions, and the building's size means the township cannot padlock it outright.
School Leaders Say They Were Caught Between Capacity and Commitment
Jaludi has said the school exceeded its capacity rather than disrupt students' education. Jaludi is represented by attorney Michael J. Piromalli as the matter moves through both zoning and planning board channels.
Al-Ghazaly's roots in North Jersey run deep. The school began in Jersey City in 1984 and later moved to Wayne before the foundation evaluated more than 65 properties across North Jersey in its search for a new home, according to IEF Schools. The 4.8-acre Fairfield campus has 26 classrooms and 180 parking spaces, and now serves as the flagship site for grades 9 through 12 while introducing a new middle school division for grades 6 through 8. The foundation also runs Al-Hikmah Elementary School in Prospect Park, located under five miles away, per the same IEF Schools listing.
Planning Board Adjourns Amid Resident Pushback
At a planning board hearing on October 13, Jaludi sought final site plan approval to raise the school's permitted capacity to 400 students and 46 staff. The board adjourned the application to a new hearing scheduled for Tuesday, November 10, after Al-Ghazaly agreed to cooperate with the township and supply documentation on fire safety, student population, and traffic.
Residents packed the hearing demanding the school be shut down as soon as possible, raising concerns about traffic and pedestrian and driver safety near the campus, and some claimed the foundation's zoning violation was intentional. They also opposed granting the proposed 400-student capacity outright.
Township Pulled Comments After Hearing Video Drew Backlash
The hearing itself became a flashpoint online. Fairfield disabled comments on its YouTube video of the meeting, saying in a public notice that it took the step because of insensitive and anti-Islamic statements viewed by a wide audience that included children attending the IEF school.
Al-Ghazaly reports a 100% four-year college placement rate among graduates, with annual tuition between $6,590 and $8,590 for the current school year, according to Niche. For now, the school remains open while it awaits the planning board's rescheduled hearing and municipal court proceedings, with the zoning matter and capacity request still unresolved.
