New Rochelle High School (NRHS), a public secondary school in New Rochelle, New York, is part of the City School District of New Rochelle and is the city's sole public high school. Its buildings were designed by the noted architectural firm Guilbert and Betelle and constructed in the French-Gothic style. It opened in 1926 as the Woodrow Wilson Memorial High School, but was renamed as New Rochelle High School. The school's student body represents 60 countries. It is a two-time Blue Ribbon School and is accredited by the Middle States Association Commission on Secondary Schools. The school is organized into eight learning communities of approximately 400-600 students each.

Campus

New Rochelle High School's buildings are situated at the rear of a plot of land, fronted by two lakes, and Huguenot Park. The city acquired the park's 43 acres of land, including what is now Twin Lakes, in 1923 as the site for the community's new high school and a park. The twin lakes were one large lake that had been used for an ice manufacturing business by the Mahlstedt family. At the southeast corner of the property is Mahlstedt House, where the family lived. In 1926, Mahlstedt House became the Huguenot Park Branch of New Rochelle Public Library, which closed in 1992, and in 1996 it became Huguenot Children's Library. A white, marble, World War II Marines Memorial is located near the causeway leading to the High School from North Avenue. The monument was dedicated on June 3, 1949, to the 15 New Rochelle Marines who died while fighting in the war. The school's campus was designed in the French-Gothic style by the architectural firm Guilbert and Betelle. It includes a working clock tower, indoor swimming facilities, eight tennis courts, two football fields, one combined soccer and baseball field, an outdoor track, a television station and a planetarium. The planetarium can hold 84 viewers and uses a Spitz Scidome, a 360-degree full-dome video projector with ATM-4 automation and a 5.1 surround sound audio system.

History

The high school was completed in 1926 at a cost of over $1 million. It was originally named the Woodrow Wilson Memorial High School, but was removed by the city board of education and renamed to New Rochelle High School, sparking protests. On May 17, 1968, school buildings dating from the 1920s and 1930s were destroyed by arson. A 16-year-old high-school student with a history of setting fires to attract attention was arrested for the arson. Additions made to school buildings in 1959 and 1960 were not affected. Fire insurance allowed the school to rebuild while displaced students were accommodated at local junior high schools under a time-sharing arrangement. On August 15, 2008, two months after the 40th anniversary of the 1968 arson fire that destroyed much of the school, New Rochelle High School was struck by lightning, causing a fire that severely damaged the building's distinctive spire. During the spring 2018 semester at the school, three instances of violence involving students occurred; in an incident on January 18 of that year, a student was stabbed to death. In 2019, a student named Z'Inah Brown was sentenced to 17 years in prison for her actions in the January 2018 incident. In 2019, the school's administrator was dismissed "for changing 212 grades for 32 students by making 'entries and changes to students' records in violation of NRHS grade-change practice and without any consistent, comprehensible or valid explanation'".

Academics

The NRHS is organized into eight geographically defined learning communities of approximately 400-600 students each that serve as a home base for students and teachers. In each community, ninth and tenth grade students in are teamed with teachers in English, social studies, mathematics, and science. These teacher-student 'teams' remain intact for ninth and tenth grades to provide continuity for students and staff. Eleventh and twelfth grade students remain within their communities but most coursework occurs throughout the campus.

Departments

The school features several departments. The Arts Department is a program that integrates Art, Music, Dance and Theater Arts within the school. The school also includes a Business Education Department and its current programs of study include business, Marketing & Entrepreneurship, and Marketing and Computer Applications. The Engineering and Architectural Design Department offers courses in architectural design, architectural presentation, CADD aided residential drawing and design and drawing for production.

Honor societies

The Fund for Educational Excellence

The private foundation The Fund for Educational Excellence was formed to address the dramatic increase in the cost of public education by supporting aspects of the public education system that fall outside the normal operating budget. The fund was established in 1998 by the Superintendent of Schools, members of the Board of Education and community leaders. The fund has sponsored several benefit concerts featuring NRHS students at major performance venues including Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall at the Lincoln Center.

The Museum of Arts and Culture

The on-site Museum of Arts and Culture offers exhibits and programs focused on the fine arts, history, literature, science and technology. The museum opened in 2006 and is the only Regents-chartered museum in a school in the state of New York.

Co and extra-curricular activities

The school has a considerable number of clubs including: • Academic Challenge • Animal Rights • Art Club • Asian Culture Club • Auditorium Tech Crew • Black Culture Club • Brain cancer awareness club • Cafe Saturnalia • Chess Club • Christian Culture Club • Dance Team and Club • Economics Team • E.S.L. Club • Entrepreneur Club • French Club • (G.R.E.E.N.) Fresh Air Club • Gay/Straight Alliance • General Organization (G.O.) • Habitat for Humanity • Hispanic Culture Club • Hope from the Heart: Cancer Awareness Club • Human Rights Coalition • The Huguenot Herald • Italian Club • Irish culture Club • Japanese culture Club • Jazz band • Jewish Culture Club • Junior State of America • Key Club • Latin Club • Marching band • Math Honor Society Team • Media Club • Midnight Run • Mock Trial Team • Model Congress • Muslim Culture Club • Operation Smile Club • Philosophy Club • Photography Club • Ping-pong Club • FIRST Robotics Competition Team • Science Club • Science Olympiad • Spanish Club • Students Against Destructive Decisions (S.A.D.D) • Student Community Action • Ultimate Frisbee Club • Tae Kwon Do Club • Tech Crew • Theatre Workshop

Accomplishments

Interscholastic sports

Fall schedule Winter schedule Spring schedule

Athletic accomplishments

Notable alumni

Notable alumni sorted by graduation year.