History
Early education in Billerica
Shortly after the foundation of Billerica in 1655, the town made plans to ensure education for its young residents. The first schoolmaster of Billerica was Joseph Tompson. His private room was the first classroom. As the town of Billerica grew in the 18th century, other schoolmasters were hired.
In 1794 Ebenezer Pemberton opened the first private school in Billerica, Pemberton Academy. Mr. Pemberton was considered one of the most notable teachers of his time and had previously taught James Madison and Aaron Burr. The academy closed in 1808. Another private school was established in 1820 known as Billerica Academy, and classes were held in an old hotel. It also found itself closed in 1836. Reverend Mr. Stearns then tried to pick up the burden of higher education by teaching classes in his church, but this school also eventually closed.
Howe School and Howe High School
The first official high school under town control was established in 1851 (although the town did not officially control it until 1916). It was named Howe School after its founder Dr. Zadok Howe. Dr. Howe funded the building of the school but died before construction was completed. His estate ran the school, free of charge to Billerica residents. It took in students from all over New England and some from as far away as Illinois. The total enrollment was 46 boys and 42 girls, with the senior class graduating a total of six students (four boys and two girls).
In 1896, the Town of Billerica officially named the school as the town's high school as was mandated by law. It was also in that same year that a group of alumni from the school founded an association that is still active today: The Howe High School/Billerica Memorial High School Alumni Association is the second oldest active high school alumni group in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts behind the Alumni Association to the Boston Latin School.
When Dr. Howe's estate announced, in 1915, that free tuition would end for Billerica students, the town took over the school.
The Howe School soon became overpopulated and the town was forced to rent out rooms in houses opposite the building. The principal at this time was Mr. Vining. He himself taught six classes a day. The superintendent at the time was Mr. Arthur B. Webber.
In 1914, the overpopulation of the Howe School became a serious problem for the town. A suggestion was then made to erect a new high school. It was brought to the Town Finance Committee. The committee eventually voted to recommend the building of a new high school to cost no more than $90,000. The town issued 20-year, four percent serial bonds to this amount. In September 1916, the new Howe High School was open across the street from the original Howe School.
Billerica Memorial High School
Billerica Memorial High School was officially opened on September 26, 1955. The school opened with Philip G. Hines as superintendent of schools and Royal S. Adams as the principal. In 1955 the high school received 700 students as well as four groups of elementary students. The total cost to build this new institution was approximately $2,425,000. Shortly after its opening, the Billerica school again became overpopulated. A suggestion was made to build an addition to the building. Billerica Memorial High School then added a new addition in September 1974. The cost of this addition was approximately $15,469,000. This addition provided 90 additional rooms, giving the faculty more room to work. The superintendent was William Flaherty and the principal was William Archambault. [6] [7]
Over time, the building started to become extremely outdated. The structure was starting to fall apart, and ceiling tiles had fallen inside of classrooms, posing a threat to students. The old building contained asbestos, and there are multiple anecdotes from students and staff that the old building contained mice and rats, and occasionally had problems with its heating system in the winter. A need for a new high school was brought to attention, and in March 2016, a plan was approved by the town to demolish the Billerica Memorial High School and build a new one on the same site. Work began in February 2017, and the cost to build the new school was around $176 million. The school opened on September 3, 2019, with Tim Piwowar as superintendent and Tom Murphy as principal.
Latin School of Chicago is a private elementary, middle, and high school located in the Gold Coast neighborhood on the Near North Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The school was founded in 1888 by Mabel Slade Vickery. Latin School is a member of the Independent School League (ISL).
East Catholic High School is a private, college preparatory high school located in Manchester, Connecticut, United States, under the auspices of the Archdiocese of Hartford. The parochial school was founded in 1961 and is inspired by the charism of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. East Catholic is the only school in the Archdiocese of Hartford that has had the continued presence of its founding order throughout its history.
Belmont High School is a four-year public high school in Belmont, Massachusetts, United States. The school had 1,364 students enrolled and a student/teacher ratio of 16.3:1 in the 2022–2023 school year.
The Fayetteville-Manlius Central School District (F-M) is a K-12 public school district located in the Town of Manlius in Central New York, enrolling approximately 4,800 students. F-M serves a large portion of the Town of Manlius, including the villages of Manlius and Fayetteville, as well as portions of Jamesville and Pompey. The district is partially funded by and governed under the authority of the New York State Education Department, whose standardized examinations are designed and administered by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York.
Cardinal McCarrick High School (CMHS), later known as Cardinal McCarrick/St. Mary's High School, was a Catholic secondary school located in South Amboy, New Jersey, that operated under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen. The school closed at the end of the 2014–15 school year, in the wake of an increasing financial deficit.
Lincoln High School is a high school in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Enrollment is currently at 1,833 students. Lincoln was included in the list of the top 1200 public schools in the US by Newsweek in their May 8, 2006 issue, ranking at 1,027.
Ramapo High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school in the East Ramapo Central School District, serving 9th to 12th grade students. It is located at 400 Viola Road in Ramapo, New York in Rockland County.
Central Catholic High School is a college preparatory school with an academic campus in Lawrence, Massachusetts and an athletic campus in Lawrence, Massachusetts associated with the Marist Brothers of the Schools and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and founded in 1935 by Brother Florentius.
Brentwood High School is a secondary school on Long Island in Brentwood, New York, on United States. It is one of the largest high schools in New York state. It is a part of the Brentwood Union Free School District.
West Springfield High School, in Massachusetts, United States, is the city of West Springfield's high school. It is located near West Springfield Middle School and John R. Fausey Elementary, one of the city's five elementary schools. The school's mascot is the terrier.
Tappan Zee High School is a public high school located in Orangeburg, New York in Rockland County. The school serves students in grades 9–12, and is part of the South Orangetown Central School District. The school derives its name from the nearby Tappan Zee section of the Hudson River.
The Liberty Central School District is located in Sullivan County, New York. The school consists of a High School and a Middle School, which are part of the same complex but are administered as two separate schools, and an elementary school which is a separate building less than a mile away from the High School and Middle School.
Concord-Carlisle High School (CCHS) is a public high school located in Concord, Massachusetts, United States. It is 17 miles (27 km) northwest of Boston. The school serves grades 9–12, and as part of the Concord-Carlisle Regional School District, has students from both Concord and Carlisle, Massachusetts. The school also has a notable portion of minority students from Boston enrolled as part of the METCO program.
Needham High School is a public high school in Needham, Massachusetts, educating grades 9 through 12. Aaron Sicotte is the principal of Needham High School. Its three assistant principals are Alison Coubrough-Argentieri, Mary Kay Alessi, and Pierre Jean. As of 2016, the school had 1,644 students and over 201 part-time and full-time instructional staff members, plus support staff employees. Needham High School was awarded a gold medal by U.S. News & World Report for its academic excellence. The school is ranked as the 11th best for Massachusetts and 307th best nationally on U.S. News & World Report’s list of best high schools in 2016.
Medina Central School District is a public school district that serves the village of Medina, NY as well as the towns of Ridgeway, Shelby, a small part of Barre, and a small part of Hartland which is in Niagara County. The school district consists of 1,550 students in grades PK–12. PK–3 are taught at Oak Orchard Primary School. 4–6 are taught at Clifford H. Wise Intermediate School. 7–12 are taught at Medina Junior-Senior High School. The school district is home to the Medina Mustang Marching Band, who has won fifteen state field band championships, with the most recent being in 2021. The Mustang Band has been asked to participate in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and at Disney World.
Nashoba Valley Technical High School is a four-year, public regional vocational high school located on Route 110 in Westford, Massachusetts, United States. Following a $25 million renovation and expansion, its service area covers 14 communities including the seven District towns of Ayer, Chelmsford, Groton, Littleton, Pepperell, Shirley, Townsend and Westford.
Chelmsford High School is a public, coeducational high school founded in 1917. The current building is located in North Chelmsford, Massachusetts, United States, and was built in 1974. Before 1974 the high school was located in the current McCarthy Middle School building. It serves as the public high school for students in grades nine through 12 and has been ranked among the top 500 schools in the nation by Newsweek.
Innovation Academy Charter School (IACS) is a small charter school in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts, United States. The school was founded in 1996, under the name Chelmsford Public Charter School by a small group of parents from Chelmsford, Massachusetts. While initially a middle school serving only the town of Chelmsford, IACS has since expanded, establishing a high school and serving multiple towns within Massachusetts.
Medfield High School is a 9–12 public high school in Medfield, Massachusetts, part of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is one of five public schools in the school system, and the only public high school in Medfield.
Foxborough Public Schools is the public school district serving Foxborough, in Norfolk County, Massachusetts. As of October 2018 it enrolled 2590 students.
