Signature School

Last updated
Signature School
Victory Theater and Hotel Sonntag.jpg
Front and southwestern side of Signature School
Address
Signature School
610 Main Street

Evansville
,
Indiana
47708

United States
Coordinates 37°58′23″N87°34′07″W / 37.972998°N 87.568655°W / 37.972998; -87.568655
Information
Type Charter high school
Established1992 (as a half day program), 2002 (as a full day school)
School districtIndependent
Executive DirectorJean Hitchcock
Faculty38
Teaching staff29.00 (FTE) [1]
Grades9–12
Enrollment393 (2022–2023) [1]
Student to teacher ratio13.55 [1]
Campus typeUrban
Color(s)   
SloganGlobally focused. Nationally recognized. Locally connected.
Athletics conferenceIndependent
Sports Independent
Nickname Penguins
NewspaperThe Signal
YearbookThe Album
Website Official website

Signature School is a charter high school located in downtown Evansville, Indiana, United States, on the Main Street walkway. The school opened in 2002 as Indiana's first public charter high school. It has been consistently ranked, by a number of publications, as one of the top high schools in the United States.

Contents

History

Signature School began in 1992 as a half-day program with 213 students. It offered both morning and afternoon classes and allowed motivated high school students to enroll in higher-level courses. In particular, the Accelerated, Compacted, Enriched Program (ACE) was developed for freshmen and sophomores who seek advanced English, foreign language, math, and science offerings.

By 2001, Signature School had 278 part-time students. After the passage of the Indiana Charter School Law, the staff applied for a full-day program, adopted more courses into the curriculum, and changed the school to a charter school. In December 2001, Signature School submitted a charter-seeking conversion status to the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC), and on February 25, 2002, EVSC approved the charter, making the school Indiana's first public charter high school.

The first graduation ceremony for Signature School students was held in May 2003 in the Victory Theatre. The first graduating class consisted of 42 students.

Profile

Signature School is part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme. Many classes offer a combination of both AP and IB credits. Foreign languages offered at the school include French, German, and Spanish. [2] The student-to-teacher ratio is 14 to 1. [3]

Community service is a part of the mission of Signature School. All students are required to perform more than 100 hours of service to their school, local, and global communities. The class of 2021 logged 9,367 hours in four years. [4]

Rankings

In 2017, the Washington Post named Signature “the third most challenging high school in the U.S.". [5] U.S. News & World Report ranked the school the 21st best public high school in the U.S., the sixth best charter, and number one school in the Midwest in 2013. [6] The Daily Beast named Signature the 5th best high school in America in its list entitled "Top High Schools 2014". [7] In addition, Signature School has been declared a Blue Ribbon School. [8]

In 2010 and 2011, Newsweek ranked the school as the seventh best in the United States. [9] In 2011, the Washington Post ranked the school the eighth best in the United States. [10] Out of about 22,000 high schools nationwide, U.S. News & World Report ranked the school the 53rd best in 2011. [6]

Previous Newsweek rankings have declared Signature 54th (2006), 99th (2008), 27th (2009), 7th (2010), and 7th (2011). [11] Other Washington Post rankings of the school include 126th (2007), 97th (2008), 23rd (2009), 7th (2010), and 8th (2011). [10]

In 2020, Signature was named the #1 Most Challenging School in the Nation according to the Jay Mathews Challenge Index. [12]

Campus

Signature School is located in several buildings in downtown Evansville, Indiana on the Main Street walkway. These include the fourth floor of the Victory Theatre; the Robert L. Koch II Science Building, which is attached to the Gerling Law Firm offices; the YMCA (for PE classes); and the Browning Rooms at Central Library. The school's main building is attached to the Victory Theatre. The building that now occupies Signature School was once known as the “Hotel Sonntag,” and was later renovated into the high school.

In 2015, Signature School received $2.5 million in funding for the building of the new science center as part of the Regional Cities Initiative. [13] The Regional Cities Initiative aims to help communities across Indiana transform their regions into nationally recognized destinations to live, work, and play. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suncoast Community High School</span> Magnet high school in Riviera Beach, Palm Beach, Florida, United States of America

Suncoast Community High School is a public magnet high school in Riviera Beach, Florida. The school's campus was built in 1955 as Riviera Beach High School. It was desegregated in the 1960s and renamed in 1970. It became a magnet school in 1989 and has selective admissions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pensacola High School</span> American public high school

Pensacola High School is a secondary school located near downtown Pensacola, Florida, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Academy</span> Magnet high school in Bloomfield Hills, Oakland County, Michigan, United States

The International Academy (IA) is a public, magnet high school with its main campus located in Bloomfield Township, Oakland County, Michigan, with additional campuses in White Lake Township, Michigan and Troy, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sturgis Charter Public School</span> Charter high school

The Sturgis Charter Public School is a dual-campus charter school located in the village of Hyannis, Massachusetts, United States. The school received its charter in February 1998 and opened in September for the 1998–1999 academic year with 162 freshman, 15 faculty and staff, a newly renovated facility, and a $1.2 million budget. The school philosophy is International Baccalaureate for all students.

San José High School is a selective public magnet school in San Jose, California. Founded in 1863, it is California's third oldest public high school.

Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School (JCIB) is a public International Baccalaureate school located on the campus of Shades Valley High School in Irondale, Alabama. The school enrolls 372 students in grades 9-12 and is a part of the Jefferson County School System. It is consistently recognized as one of the best high schools in the country:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paxon School for Advanced Studies</span>

Paxon School for Advanced Studies (PSAS) is one of four International Baccalaureate senior high schools in Duval County, Florida. According to the College Board's Advanced Placement Report, Paxon has one of the strongest math and science Advanced Placement programs in the state of Florida. Because of this accomplishment, Paxon is one of a select group of Florida schools invited to apply for the Siemens Advanced Placement High School Award. Only ten to fifteen schools per state are invited to apply. Some valedictorians have been accepted to the United States Naval Academy and different Ivy League schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School</span> School in Augusta, Georgia, United States

John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School (DFA) is a public magnet school for the fine and performing arts located in downtown Augusta, Georgia, United States. It draws students in grades 6 through 12 throughout Richmond County. In addition to a basic curriculum of college preparatory and Advanced Placement academic courses, Davidson offers academic and fine arts courses in the areas of visual arts, music, chorus, dance, cinema production, and theatre. It has been recognized as a National Grammy Signature School, has been ranked as the #1 school in the state of Georgia, and has placed in the top 100 tier of Newsweek's "America's Best High Schools."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North High School (Indiana)</span> Public high school in Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States

North High School, or Evansville North High School, is a public high school now located on the north side of Vanderburgh County, Indiana, approximately 9.5 miles north of Evansville, Indiana, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summit Preparatory Charter High School</span> College preparatory school in Redwood City, California, USA

Summit Preparatory Charter High School also known as Summit Prep, is a college preparatory and charter high school that was founded in 2003. Summit Prep is the first school founded by the charter management organization (CMO) Summit Public Schools, which has eight schools in the San Francisco Bay Area and three in Washington state. It is part of the Sequoia Union High School District.

The Challenge Index is a method for the statistical ranking of top public and private high schools in the United States, created by The Washington Post columnist Jay Mathews. It is also the only statistical ranking system for both public and private high schools. The ranking is determined by the extent of availability of the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Programs in the school's curriculum and the number of graduating seniors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evansville Central High School</span> Public high school in Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States

Evansville Central High School, also known as Central High, is a public high school on the north side of Evansville, Indiana. It is the oldest high school in continuous operation west of the Allegheny Mountains. It was established in 1854 as Evansville High School. The name was changed to Central High School in 1918 when FJ Reitz High School was built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metro Academic and Classical High School</span> Magnet public high school in St. Louis, Missouri, United States

Metro Academic and Classical High School is a magnet public high school in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, that is part of the St. Louis Public Schools school district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation</span> School district in Indiana

The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC) is a public school corporation serving Evansville, Indiana and Vanderburgh County; its boundary includes the entire county. It is the third largest school district in the state of Indiana, behind Indianapolis Public Schools and Fort Wayne Community Schools and the largest in Southern Indiana. The headquarters are located on Walnut Street in downtown Evansville. The school district serves nearly 23,000 students educated by more than 1,600 teachers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northcoast Preparatory Academy</span> Public secondary school in Arcata, California, USA

Northcoast Preparatory Academy, formerly known as Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy and abbreviated as NPA, is an independent public charter high school located in Arcata, California. It is currently the top ranked high school in Humboldt County, California.

Marshall Fundamental Secondary School is a secondary school located in Pasadena, California, United States, at 990 North Allen Avenue, and is part of the Pasadena Unified School District.

North Star Academy Charter School of Newark is a charter school located in Newark, in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, that educates students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. One of the initial group of 17 charter schools approved in January 1997, with plans to begin with classes for fifth and sixth grades, the school was recognized by the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duval County Public Schools</span> Public school district in the United States

Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) is the public school district that serves the families and children residing in the urban, suburban, and rural areas of the City of Jacksonville and Duval County, Florida. As of 2015, the district had an enrollment of over 130,000 students, making it the 20th largest school district in the United States, and the 6th largest school district in Florida. The district's 196 schools are traditional neighborhood and magnet schools, charter schools, and alternative schools, all of which serve students of various needs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harrison High School (New York)</span> High school in Harrison, New York, United States

Harrison High School (HHS) is a public high school located in Harrison, Westchester County, New York, United States. The school is 22 miles (35 km) northeast of New York City. It is the only high school operated by the Harrison Central School District.

American Indian Public High School (AIPHS) is a charter school in Oakland, California (USA) and is part of the American Indian Model Schools charter school system. In 2011, the school ranked fourth in California in the Academic Performance Index (API). American Indian Public High School ranked first on a list in The Washington Post of the most challenging high schools in the United States. Approximately 77 percent of the school's students are from low-income households. It was ranked the 9th best charter school in the U.S. and the 38th best public high school in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report in 2013. In 2024, U.S. News & World Report ranked AIPHS 1,482nd best high school and 207th best charter school in the U.S.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Signature School Inc". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Curriculum | Signature School". signature.edu. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
  3. ↑ "Signature School in Evansville, IN". Niche. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
  4. ↑ "About Us | Signature School". signature.edu. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  5. ↑ "Signature - The Washington Post". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  6. 1 2 "Signature School in EVANSVILLE, IN - Best High Schools - US News". 9 May 2012. Archived from the original on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 21 January 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. ↑ Beast, The Daily (27 August 2014). "America's Top High Schools 2014". thedailybeast.com. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  8. ↑ "National Blue Ribbon Schools Program". ed.gov. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  9. ↑ "Archived copy". www.newsweek.com. Archived from the original on 2 March 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. 1 2 "Ranking America's High Schools - The Washington Post". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  11. ↑ John Martin (2012-05-21). "Evansville's Signature School ranked 7th-best in nation by Newsweek - Courier Press". Archived from the original on 2014-11-13. Retrieved 2018-01-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  12. ↑ "Jay Mathews Challenge Index | High School Ranking System". Jay Mathews Challenge Index. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  13. ↑ Erbacher, Megan. "Signature School to expand facilities, enrollment with $2.5M Regional Cities funding". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  14. ↑ "Home". www.iedc.in.gov. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.