Montpelier High School (MHS) is a public secondary school, comprising grades 9–12, located in Montpelier, Vermont. MHS serves the Montpelier Roxbury Public Schools District. Schools in the district also include Union Elementary School, Roxbury Village School, and Main Street Middle School.
Montpelier is located near the center of Vermont in Washington County.
The school's sports teams are called the Solons and the school's colors are green and white. Enrollment in 2006 was 420; in 2012 it was 317.
Recognition
U.S. News & World Report ranked Montpelier High School in the top 500 out of over 18,000 high schools in the United States in November 2007. They initially and incorrectly reported that the school ranked fifth. The school brought the error to the magazine's attention shortly thereafter, prompting a correction on December 10, 2007. The school's correct ranking still puts it in the top 2.8% of American high schools and the best in Vermont (by U.S. News standards).
History
MHS is a successor to the Washington County Grammar School, incorporated in 1813. Montpelier High School first issued diplomas in 1914, the year a new high school building opened on Main Street. That building was replaced by the current building, off Bailey Avenue, which opened in 1956. The old high school building was converted to a middle school, and continues to house grades 5, 6, 7, and 8. The present high school building was enlarged in 1998.
Academics
As of 2006, MHS offers 6 AP classes: Biology, US history, English, Calculus, Statistics, Programming, and Spanish. It offers French, Spanish, and Latin at several levels. Students at Main Street Middle School are offered French I, Spanish I, and Algebra I. Upon successful completion of these courses, students may earn high school credit. MHS is also a site for interning student teachers from the University of Vermont.
As of February 2006, 17 students were attending the Barre Technical Center in the neighboring town. This is a technical and vocational school. Juniors and seniors are eligible to attend.
Courses in MHS's English department include Interpretation of Literature, Irish Humanities, and Creative Writing. Mathematics courses include Economics; Functions, Statistics and Trigonometry; Statistics; and Calculus. Science classes include Integrated Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Environmental Applications as well as basic and AP computer programming. Social studies classes include World History, Psychology, and Sociology.
Scholastic Aptitude Test
In 2010, the school was first in the state with a 1,705 average score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test. The state average was 1,546. The national average was 1,509.
In 2005, 74 seniors, 85% of the senior class, took the SAT.
Clubs and extra-curricular activities
MHS has 20 clubs open to all students, including:
Outing Club – This offers opportunities for students to participate in activities like backpacking, hiking, winter camping, canoeing, hiking, caving, rock climbing, and much more. Masque – The school's theater program. Masque puts on a two plays a year; one being a musical. The Solon Spectrum – The school's newspaper. It is published online every month. https://web.archive.org/web/20161102135846/http://www.solonspectrum.com/
Athletics
Most sports have a varsity and a junior varsity team. MHS plays in Division II in every sport, except track and field and boys' tennis. In 2015, the boys' cross country running team won the Division II state championship.
These sports are offered at MHS:
Fall season
Boys' soccer
Girls' soccer
Girls' field hockey
Boys' cross country running
Girls' cross country running
Girls' volleyball
Winter season
Boys' basketball
Girls' basketball
Boys' cross-country skiing
Girls' cross-country skiing
Boys' ice hockey
Girls' ice hockey
Spring season
Baseball
Golf
Boys' lacrosse
Boys' tennis
Girls' tennis
Boys' ultimate Frisbee
Girls' ultimate Frisbee
Boys' track and field
Girls' track and field
The school also participates in Unified Sports, a program of Special Olympics. Unified Sports teams consist of all types of students, including those who are differently-abled. The unified sports include soccer, bowling, snowshoeing, basketball, and softball. They compete against other schools.