Gainesville High School - Gainesville, Florida/FL

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Gainesville High School

1900 Nw 13th Street, Gainesville, FL, 32609-3494 -

tel: (352)955-6707
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Definition of Terms

Gainesville High School

School Level

High school

School Type

Magnet School

Grades Offered

Grades 9 - 12

County

Alachua County, FL

Students & Faculty

Total Students

2055 students

% Male / % Female

49% / 51%

Total Classroom Teachers

101 teachers

Students by Grade

Grade 9 - 599 students

Grade 10 - 594 students

Grade 11 - 482 students

Grade 12 - 380 students

This School

( FL ) School Average

Teacher : Student Ratio

1:20

1:16

Students by Ethnicity

This School

( FL ) School Average

% American Indian	n/a	n/a
% Asian	2%	2%
% Hispanic	6%	22%
% Black	38%	28%
% White	53%	47%
% Unknown	1 %	2%

Additional Student Information

This School

( FL ) School Average

% Eligible for Free Lunch

30%

42%

% Eligible for Reduced Lunch

% Migrant Students Enrolled

n/a

n/a

( FL ) Statewide Testing Performance

School Statewide Performance

View Education Department Test Scores

School District Name

Alachua County School District

This School's Agency

( FL ) District Average

Number of Schools Managed	72	20
Number of Students Managed	30,093 students	12,279 students
District Total Revenue	$248,762,000	$110,828,000
District Expenditure	$238,406,000	$112,427,000
District Revenue / Student	$8,266	$7,795
District Expenditure / Student	$7,922	$7,471
District Graduation Rates	75%	81%

Gainesville High School is a high school in Gainesville, Florida. The first public high school in Gainesville, Florida was established in 1906 in what is now known as the Kirby Smith Building on East University Avenue.
In 2006, Gainesville High School was re-accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
History: The construction for the first school to be explicitly known as Gainesville High School was completed in 1923 near the intersection of SW 7th Street and West University Avenue. The school lasted at this location for over thirty years with Rhodes Scholar Principal, F.W. Buchholz at the helm for almost all of this period. With the construction of the present day campus at 1900 NW 13th Street in 1955, the former high school building served as Buchholz Junior High School until the roof collapsed in the mid-1960's.
From 1906 until 1970 Gainesville High School was the only high school serving the city of Gainesville. However, because of large growth in the city throughout the 60's the capacity of GHS became strained forcing the school district to plan for a new high school. Because of the complications surrounding integration in the 1969-1970 school year, two new high schools opened in the city for the 1970-1971 school year. These two schools, F.W. Buchholz and Eastside continue to be arch-rivals of Gainesville High to this day.
In the mid-1990s, construction of a new wing on the Northwest corner of the campus was undertaken to ease further over-crowding and foster better integration of incoming 9th grade students. The new wing, referred to as the "9th Grade Center" houses 4 full-service computer labs, nearly 20 state-of-the art classrooms and science labs and a cafeteria. The construction project also helped to bolster the school's new magnet program, the Institute of Health Professions (IHP), which is housed in the building.
In 2004, the school took on a new academic magnet program aimed at attracting some of the top academic talent from the county's middle schools. The new "Cambridge Program" offers an international, pre-university curriculum and examination system that emphasizes the value of a broad and balanced study for academically able students. The Cambridge curriculum aims to encourage the skills of independent research and investigation, the use of initiative and creativity and the application of knowledge and skills. A range of assessment techniques is used. Emphasis is placed on the use of externally marked examination papers by the University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) and on compulsory practical work where appropriate. GHS will graduate its first class of Cambridge educated seniors in 2008. As of the 2006-2007 school year, GHS is the only high school in the district teaching the Cambridge curriculum.
Today, GHS' student-run school newspaper, formerly called the Hurricane Herald and the Hurricane Watch, is now called Eye of the Storm. GHS also has a Web site on the Internet, also completely managed by students. In the 1980s and 1990s, the school boasted an award-winning television production lab that attracted national awards and acclaim.
In 2005 the Purple Hurricane Marching Band won twin Grand Championships within the Florida Marching Band Tournament, first at the "Southern Showcase of Champions" competition in which they defeated their rival Port Charlotte with an 87.50, and again at the Azalea Marching Band Festival, in which they soundly defeated rivals Lincoln, Santa Fe, and Winter Park High School. They achieved not only the highest score in their history, a 92.50, but also received the highest finals score out of any FMBC competition that year. Later that year they placed second in Class AAA at the 2005 FMBC State Championships, and concluded their season by attending the ABC Channel 6 Boscov's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia, PA.
Overall, the school's performing arts programs are thriving, with recent graduates entering prestigious programs at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati and the School for Film and Television in New York.
Athletics: Gainesville High School competes under the name "The Purple Hurricanes." Coach Jim Niblack brought football fame to GHS during the 60's, 70's, and 80's. During these three decades, Niblack led teams that were often considered to be among the best in the state and in contention for state titles. In 1980, the Canes, under Niblack, beat the Titusville Terriers to win the State Football Championship, the first ever for any Gainesville School. A popular chant during this time was: "We are the mighty, mighty (pause)...hurricanes" causing foes to tremble. Interestingly, all home football games for the 'Canes in the 1970's were played at nearby Florida Field, home of the Fightin' Gators. Currently, the Hurricanes play their home games at Citizen's Field, which is also used for home games by other Gainesville schools Eastside High School and Buchholz High School.
The basketball program has enjoyed a good amount of success, especially near the turn of the 21st century. Gainesville won its first state championship in 1969, and added two more in 1999 and 2000. In 1999, the 'Canes, backed by future NBA guard Orien Greene, dominated in-state rival Wolfson for their first state title in 30 years, winning by double digits. In 2000, Gainesville compiled a 33-2 record to repeat as state champions, as the team included two-sport athlete Vernell Brown, who later went (along with center Ian Scott) to play for the University of Florida football program, along with the returning star Orien Greene, whose Number 5 was retired following his performance which earned him the title of Florida's Mr. Basketball in 2000 and earned him a scholarship to play basketball at the University of Florida, although he later transferred to Louisiana-Lafayette before leaving college for the NBA due to lack of playing time. In addition, GHS won the 2005 title for its district.
They also excel in a variety of other sports, such as Volleyball, Tennis, Soccer, Baseball, and Swimming. Their track and field programs are extensive as well.
Notable Graduates: Tom Petty - Musician.
Clinton Portis - NFL Tailback for the Washington Redskins.
Ian Scott - NFL Defensive Lineman for the Chicago Bears.
Kiki Carter - Musician, Activist, Author.
Vernell Brown - NFL Cornerback for the New England Patriots.
Orien Greene - NBA Guard for the Indiana Pacers.
Ken Block - Sister Hazel.
Andrew Copeland - Sister Hazel.
Edward Leslie - Professional Wrestler Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake.
Stephen Stills - Musician.
Ryland "Soup" Wagner - 2005 Gainesville Sun High School Wrestling Coach of the Year.
Brittany Daniel - Actress.
Source: Wikipedia; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL
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About This Zip Code (32609)

School Zip (32609)

(FL) State Average

Population (Approximate)

18,208 people

15,366,089 people

% (age 25+) w/College Degree

26%

27%

Population Average Age

33 years old

38.7 years old

Average Household size

2.4 persons

2.3 persons

Median Household Income

$27,731

$38,451

Avg. # of Rooms in Household

4.8 rooms

5.0 rooms

Median Age of Housing Structure

36 years old

32 years old

View current housing listings in 32609

Median Value of Housing Unit
Zipcode (32609)

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% Owning / % Renting

56% / 44%

67% / 33%

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Weather: 10-day forecast or monthly climate averages.

Nearby Schools:


1. Florida Siatech At Gainesville High School - 199 students - view location
2. Eastside High School - 1956 students - view location
3. W. Travis Loften High School - 321 students - view location
4. F. W. Buchholz High School - 2305 students - view location
View all schools in: Gainesville Town, Alachua County, Zip 32609

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Note: Data has been gathered from several government and commercial data sources. School data reflects years 2002-04 statistics (most recent years available). Area and demographic data reflects year 2000 statistics. Public School Review does not ensure the timeliness or accuracy of the information on this site.

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