Homestead High School (Wisconsin)
Homestead High School is a four-year public high school located in Mequon, Wisconsin, United States, a northern suburb of Milwaukee. Part of the Mequon-Thiensville School District, it serves a 48-square-mile (120 km2) area including the city of Mequon and the village of Thiensville. The school opened in 1959 and educates nearly 1,300 students annually. Its graduation rate is 99%, and its most recent average composite ACT scores were 23.4, the seventeenth-highest of any public school in the state.[2] Homestead is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.[3]
Homestead High School | |
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Address | |
5000 West Mequon Road , 53092 | |
Coordinates | 43°13′23″N 87°58′18″W |
Information | |
Type | Public secondary |
Motto | Proud Heritage, Students of Achievement |
Established | 1959 |
School district | Mequon-Thiensville School District |
Superintendent | Matthew Joynt |
Faculty | 76.94 (FTE)[1] |
Grades | 9–12 |
Enrollment | 1,324 (2017–18)[1] |
Student to teacher ratio | 17.21[1] |
Color(s) | Red and white |
Fight song | "We Are The Mighty Highlanders" |
Athletics conference | North Shore Conference |
Mascot | Angus the Highlander (#51) |
Nickname | Highlanders |
Newspaper | The Highlander |
Yearbook | The Tartan |
Website | HHS website |
History
The area on which Homestead High School now stands originally belonged to the Potawatomi and Menominee Indians. In 1838, the land was taken by the United States government. Sales of the land occurred in 1835. In 1841 and Peter and Anna Frank received a land grant for the area, and in the following years, the 80-acre land area was owned by their children.
Homestead High School opened in 1959 with just Freshmen and Sophomores. Dr. Merton Campbell served as the first superintendent, and Lauren Dixon served as the first principal. Originally the school consisted of four wings, two music rooms, a small theater, cafeteria, and a gymnasium. Homestead has undergone four renovations/additions. In 1962, another wing was added. Three additional wings, the library, a swimming area, another gymnasium, a lecture hall, and an auditorium were added in 1968. In 1978, the school added an orchestra room. In 1998, the biggest renovation added a wing, a new heating and cooling system, fine arts rooms, another cafeteria with a food court, an academic support center, a field house for athletics, and a conference room for the district.[4]
Enrollment
Homestead's enrollment decreased from 1610 in 2003, to 1405 in 2011-2012, and to 1282 in 2015-16.[5]
Of the 1282 students, 0.3% are Native American, 1.8% are Latino, 3.6% are Asian, 3.3% are African American, and 91.0% are White.[6]
Academics
Homestead High School teaches courses in business, computer science, cooperative education, engineering and technology, English, family and consumer education, fine arts, foreign language, mathematics, physical education, science, and social studies.[7]
Honors courses include algebra 1, algebra 2/trigonometry, American literature, American studies-English, American studies-social studies, biology, British literature, business organization and management, calculus AB I, chemistry, English 9/argumentation, English 9, expository writing, French 4, geometry, German 4, independent study, Latin 4, multi-variable calculus, physics, pre-calculus, product development project, Spanish 4, and world studies.[3]
Homestead offers A.P. classes in French, German, calculus AB, calculus BC, physics, Spanish, statistics, United States history, American government, biology, chemistry, macroeconomics, microeconomics, psychology, English language, and English literature.[3][8]
The graduation rate for the school has been 99% or better for at least the past 10 consecutive years.[9] Of the Class of 2011, 86% of the students were planning to attend a four-year college, 5% to attend two-year colleges, and 9% to work.[3]
Recognition
In 2004 Homestead High School was recognized as a Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor a school can receive from the U.S. Department of Education. It was one of 33 public high schools in the United States to receive the honor that year.[10] In 2009, BusinessWeek magazine ranked Homestead as the top high school in Wisconsin. The magazine noted that Homestead offered the "Best Overall Academic Performance".[11] In 2011, Homestead was named one of the top 500 schools in the nation by Newsweek.[12]
Athletics
Homestead won a state championship in boys cross country in 1967.[13]
References
- "Homestead High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
- "Homestead Performance Report" (PDF). Mequon-Thiensville School District. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
- "Homestead High School Profile 2011-2012" (PDF). Profile. Mequon-Thiensville School District. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
- "History of Homestead". History of Homestead. Mequon-Thiensville School District. Archived from the original on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
- "Homestead Highlanders". Homestead High School Sports. Wissports. Archived from the original on November 4, 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
- "Homestead High School". Grade Sizes & Demographics. MuniNetGuide. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
- "Academics". Academics. Mequon-Thiensville School District. Archived from the original on 22 October 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- "HOMESTEAD HIGH SCHOOL" (PDF). HOMESTEAD HIGH SCHOOL. Mequon-Thiensville School District. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- Mequon-Thiensville School District
- "2004 No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon Schools All Public High Schools" (PDF). United States Department of Education. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
- "America's Best High Schools: Wisconsin*". BusinessWeek. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
- "America's Best High Schools". Newsweek. 16 September 2011. Archived from the original on 16 October 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
- 2019 State Cross Country Meet Souvenir Program. Wisconsin Rapids, WI: Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. November 2, 2019. p. 27.