Newton South High School is one of two public high schools in the city of Newton, Massachusetts, United States, the other being Newton North.

History and student life

By the late 1950s, Newton's sole public high school, Newton High, grew to 3,000 students. Newton built a new school, Newton South, in the Oak Hill neighborhood in 1960. The school is organized into four student houses—Cutler, Goldrick, Goodwin, and Wheeler—each with a student commons. Newton South was the first public high school to create a gay–straight alliance in the United States in the early 1990s. Newton South features two award-winning student newspapers, Denebola and The Lion's Roar. U.S. News & World Report ranked Newton South as the 664th-best high school in the country and 20th-best in the Massachusetts in its 2020 rankings. The school is part of the Newton Public School District.

Public attention

The school gained notoriety in 2002 for its "Senior Scavenger Hunt", a student-organized contest that featured theft, vandalism, illegal drug use, and various sexual acts committed by the graduating seniors in exchange for points. On February 8, 2007, the Newton South STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition chapter organized a Darfur Benefit Concert with the well known band, State Radio, raising over $23,000 for Save the Children and the Genocide Intervention Network.

Sports

Newton South competes in the DCL (Dual County League).

Awards and recognition

Newton South was named Massachusetts's top athletic program by Sports Illustrated in 2009.

Notable alumni