Spartanburg High School – Spartanburg, SC
Spartanburg High School’s mission is to cooperate with home and community to provide educational programs that enable students to realize their potential as productive members of a diverse society. As the first school in the nation to win the prestigious Blue Ribbon School Award four times (1982-83, 1988-89, 1992-93, 1997-98), SHS will never accept mediocrity. Additional achievements such as receiving an absolute rating of excellent and an improvement rating of excellent on the State of South Carolina Annual School Report Card, being chosen as a Flagship School of Promise (2000, 2003) and a Palmetto Gold High School (2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05), being recognized by Newsweek magazine (2003-2004) as one of the top high schools in the nation, and being one of thirty schools in the nation designated as a Blue Ribbon Lighthouse School (2005) attests to the fact that excellence is not a goal, it is a way of life at Spartanburg High School.
Top colleges and universities across the nation desire Spartanburg High School graduates. Admissions departments routinely speak very highly of our students and their preparation for success in the college classroom. Our Advanced Placement (AP) Program has given many students the opportunity to take college courses while still in high school. Since its inception in 1991, 620 students have been named AP Scholars; additionally, participants in our AP Program have earned more than 7,000 hours of college credit since 1998. In May 2005, 204 SHS students took AP exams in 24 different subject areas, with 72% of the tests taken receiving a score of “3” or higher. Though approximately 46.3% of our students qualify for free or reduced lunch, parents, administrators, faculty, and community members expect SHS graduates to continue their education beyond high school, as evidenced by 85% of the Class of 2005 attending technical, two-year, and four-year colleges and universities. Our graduates annually pass approximately 95% of their freshman level courses. The instructional program at Spartanburg High School is second to none.
Spartanburg High School has an exemplary faculty and staff. The SHS faculty enjoys a learning environment enhanced by academic and disciplinary support from the administration. All faculty members teach in-field and 74% hold advanced degrees. The principal, six assistant principals, six guidance counselors, and an academic coach provide the structural backing for excellence in educational achievement. All personnel maintain regular contact with parents about such issues as academic performance, scheduling, post-graduation planning, attendance, and discipline; they also inform parents of the successes of their students through the use of “good news” cards. Faculty and staff extend their support of the students by being visible at athletic events, theater performances, musical concerts, awards banquets, and other extracurricular activities. Teachers and administrators alike come together to create a family atmosphere both during and after school hours.
The community that Spartanburg High School serves is a small city with a diverse population of 50,000. Many of our students come from single-parent homes and reflect a variety of socioeconomic, cultural, and occupational backgrounds. Parents and community members have numerous volunteer opportunities available to them. They may participate in various community meetings held solely for the purpose of addressing issues and concerns regarding SHS, or serve as members of the School Improvement Council. Parents as well as community members are invited to be classroom speakers, hosts for job shadowing experiences, chaperones, PTO and booster club members, seminar leaders for student workshops, and members of other ad-hoc committees which address school and community concerns. We are proud to have widespread community support of and participation in a new summer reading program beginning in June 2006. All students, faculty, staff, parents, and interested community members will choose from a list of pre-selected books and receive a free copy of their book of choice. The 2006 school year will begin with a day of discussion groups, projects, writing workshops, and visits with authors of several of the novels. Representatives from the mayor’s office, the sheriff’s department, area churches, and a local newspaper and television station are just a few of the community volunteers who are joining us as we seek to improve literacy for all of our students.
Spartanburg High School is synonymous with excellence. We seek to be ever-changing and ever-improving in order to meet the needs of our diverse population. It is our philosophy that every child deserves a quality education and the opportunity to achieve success.