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Peoria High School (Arizona)

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}

{{Infobox school

| name = Peoria High School

| image = Peoria High School, Old Main Building.jpg

| motto =

| established = 1919

| type = Public Secondary

| principal = Sam Chagolla

| teaching_staff = 70.96 (FTE)

| ratio = 22.17

| enrollment = 1,573 (2023-2024){{cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=0406250&SchoolPageNum=2&ID=040625000514|title=Peoria High School|publisher=National Center for Education Statistics|accessdate=December 15, 2024}}

| rivals = Cactus High School

Centennial High School

Raymond S. Kellis High School

| colors = {{Color box|green|border=darkgray}} {{Color box|gold|border=darkgray}} Green and gold

| mascot = Panthers

| free_label = AIA Class

| free_text = 4A

| location = 11200 North 83rd Avenue Peoria, Arizona, United States of America 85345

| website = [https://schools.peoriaud.k12.az.us/sites/phs/Pages/Default.aspx Peoria High School]

| coordinates = {{Coord|33.587095|-112.239822|display=inline,title|format=dms|type:edu}}

}}Peoria High School is a public secondary school located in Peoria, Arizona, United States, serving grades 9 to 12. It is the oldest high school in the Peoria Unified School District and opened in 1919; its original building Old Main was constructed in 1922, renovated in 2014, and named a Historic Place in 2019. The school enrolls around 1,500 students, 10% of which participate in the school's Advanced Placement program. There are over 40 clubs on campus, as well as a strong athletics program.

History

Peoria High School was originally located in the back of a general store/post office combination and taught by a single teacher in 1919, but after a railroad was built in the city, a new building opened in 1922, enrolling 50 students.{{cite web|url=http://www.peoriaunified.org/site/default.aspx?DomainID=1641|title=About Us|last=|first=|date=|website=Peoria Unified|language=en|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=February 23, 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/peoria/2014/07/24/historic-peoria-school-gets-facelift/13112171/|title=Historic Peoria school gets facelift|last=Coe|first=Jackee|date=July 24, 2014|website=Arizona Central|language=en|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=February 23, 2019}} At its opening, the school, built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, was the largest structure in town and contained period luxuries such as indoor plumbing.{{cite web|url=https://www.peoriaaz.gov/government/departments/planning-and-zoning/historic-preservation/peoria-s-history/timeline-1900-to-1929|title=Timeline (1900 to 1929)|last=|first=|date=|website=City of Peoria|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=February 23, 2019}} In the next few decades, the school was the only Arizonan high school to continue allowing Japanese American students to attend during World War II, while in 1962, it was the first in the area to allow African American students to participate in sports.

The main building, Old Main, closed in 2008 for renovations, which would begin in 2012 and end in 2014, adding modernized classrooms, labs, and spaces, as well as a student lounge. After its reopening, the building also housed the district's non-traditional high school, the Peoria Flex Academy.{{cite web|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/peoria/2017/11/18/peorias-met-academy-moving-old-arizona-challenger-space-center/867399001/|title=Peoria's MET academy moving to old Arizona Challenger Space Center|last=Gómez|first=Laura|date=November 18, 2017|website=Arizona Central|language=en|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=February 23, 2019}} The district's Medical, Engineering, and Technology (MET) Academy share the space with the Center, though the District acquired the Arizona Challenger Space Center building in 2017 with plans to move the Academy into the Space Center; by 2019, the District's board members voted to repurpose the center into an Arts Center where students from any high school may take specialized art classes.

In 2019, Old Main was named to the National Register of Historic Places.{{cite web|url=https://www.peoriaaz.gov/Home/Components/News/News/2371/16?arch=1|title=Keeping History in the Spotlight: Peoria Adds Important Building to Historic Register|last=|first=|date=January 2, 2019|website=City of Peoria|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=February 23, 2019}}

Enrollment

The school currently enrolls around 1,500 students, consisting of 51% male and 49% female students. The majority of students are Hispanic, with 55%, while 30% are White, 8% are Black, 3% are multiracial, 2% are Asian, 1% are Native American, and 0.3% are Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. 70% of the students are minorities. 56% of the students are economically disadvantaged, a metric calculated from the number of students receiving free or reduced priced lunches.{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/arizona/districts/peoria-unified-school-district/peoria-high-school-1040/student-body|title=Peoria High School – Student Body|last=|first=|date=2016|website=U.S. News & World Report|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=February 23, 2019}}

Academics

Peoria High School offers various academic tracks: basic, honors, and Advanced Placement (AP). The basic track allows a wide variety of classes with no added weight in GPA. The honors program offers a somewhat harder work load, countered by a weighting the grade point average differently. The Advanced Placement (AP) program offers college credit with the same grade weighting as an honors class. All students may take a mixture of basic, honors and AP if they wish.

10% of students participate in the AP program.{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/arizona/districts/peoria-unified-school-district/peoria-high-school-1040/test-scores|title=Peoria High School – Test Scores|last=|first=|date=2016|website=U.S. News & World Report|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=February 23, 2019}}

Peoria High School's graduation rate is around 94%.{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/arizona/districts/peoria-unified-school-district/peoria-high-school-1040|title=Peoria High School|last=|first=|date=2016|website=U.S. News & World Report|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=February 23, 2019}} The graduation ceremony takes place at the State Farm Stadium, which is located in the neighboring city of Glendale.

Extracurricular activities

= Clubs and organizations =

Peoria has a variety of clubs{{cite web|url=http://www.peoriaunified.org/site/default.aspx?DomainID=3071|title=Clubs|last=|first=|date=|website=Peoria Unified|language=en|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=February 23, 2019}} and a marching band that has consistently placed third in its division at the State Marching Band Festival.{{cite web|url=http://www.peoriaunified.org/site/default.aspx?DomainID=507|title=Marching Band|last=|first=|date=|website=Peoria Unified|language=en|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=February 23, 2019}}{{col-begin}}{{col-4}}

  • AFJROTC
  • AP Euro Club
  • ASL Club/ASL Honor Club
  • Auto (Automotive club)
  • AVID
  • Band
  • Be a Leader (college-bound seniors)
  • Book Club
  • Boys State (Junior boys summer government experience)
  • Chess Club
  • Choir
  • Christian Club on Campus

{{col-4}}

{{col-4}}

  • Girls State (Junior girls summer government experience)
  • Gay Straight Alliance
  • HOPE (Fellowship)
  • Jobs for Arizona Graduates (JAG)
  • Panthers Knit! (Knitting and crocheting)
  • Junior Class (Student Council)
  • Mat Maids (Wrestling support group)
  • Media Productions
  • MESA
  • National Honors Society
  • Otacon Club (Anime, gaming, and Japanese culture)

{{col-4}}

  • Peoria Open Minds (Creative writing, community outreach)
  • Senior Class (Student Council)
  • Skills USA/Building Trades
  • Sophomore Class (Student Council)
  • Spiritline (Cheer, school spirit)
  • Sports Medicine
  • Student Council
  • Thespians
  • Winter guard
  • Yearbook

{{col-end}}

= Athletics =

Peoria won its first state football championship in 1939, when the team was still known as the Horned Toads.{{cite web|url=https://www.peoriaaz.gov/government/departments/planning-and-zoning/historic-preservation/peoria-s-history/timeline-1929-to-1939|title=Timeline (1929 to 1939)|last=|first=|date=|website=City of Peoria|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=February 23, 2019}}

In the late 1980s, Peoria was one of the most dominant and successful athletics programs in Arizona. Between 1984 and 1989, Peoria won 8 State Championships in Men's and Women's Basketball, Women's Softball, Men's Baseball, Football and Wrestling.{{Citation needed|date=May 2009}}

Championships

  • Football 4A State Champions: 1944, 1986, 1987, 1994 (co-champions).
  • Football Class A District Champs: 1973
  • Women's Basketball 4A State Champions: 1988, 1989
  • Men's Basketball State Champions: 1937, 1984 (4A), 2012 (Div. II)
  • Women's Tennis Doubles State Champ: 1975
  • Baseball State Champions: 1988, 1989
  • Softball State Champions: 1989
  • Wrestling State Championships: 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
  • Men's Track and Field Championships: 2009

Alumni

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • [https://schools.peoriaud.k12.az.us/sites/phs/Pages/Default.aspx Peoria High School]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20050601043528/http://www2.peoriaud.k12.az.us/ Peoria Unified School District]

{{Peoria Unified School District}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Public high schools in Arizona

Category:Education in Peoria, Arizona

Category:Educational institutions established in 1919

Category:Schools in Maricopa County, Arizona

Category:1919 establishments in Arizona