North High School (Phoenix, Arizona)

Coordinates: 33°28′47″N 112°03′29″W / 33.479614°N 112.05802°W / 33.479614; -112.05802
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
North High School
MottoEmpowering all students to be global citizens as they pursue success.
Established1939 (Initial)[1]
1983 (reopening)[1]
StatusOperational
Closed1981 (Initial)[1]
School districtPhoenix Union High School District
NCES District ID0406330
NCES School ID040633001244
PrincipalVanessa Casillas[2]
Staff136.00 (FTE)[3]
Grades9-12
Enrollment2,637 (2018-19)[3]
Student to teacher ratio19.67[3]
Color(s)   Blue and Red
MascotMustang
Websitewww.phxhs.k12.az.us/north
The original building built in 1939, of the once North Phoenix High School, now North High School (1954)

North High School (Formerly known as North Phoenix High School[4]) is a high school that forms part of the Phoenix Union High School District in Phoenix, Arizona.

History

North High School in 1942

North Phoenix High School opened its doors in 1939,[1] becoming the first high school built after George Washington Carver High School, a school that was built for segregation purposes.[5]

Closure

By 1981, the school's enrollment had fallen to 814.[6] As a result, North High was closed in 1981,[1] and would become one of four schools to close during the 1980s.[1] As a result of the closures, two lawsuits were filed, accusing the Phoenix Union High School District of discriminating against ethnic minorities and low-income students by closing schools in their neighborhoods, in addition to unfair resource allocations.[7] The lawsuits were later consolidated into the Castro v. Phoenix Union High School District lawsuit,[7] in which a federal judge ruled against the school district.[4] That ruling resulted in the reopening of North High, as well as, among other measures, the establishment of magnet programs across the district.[7]

Phoenix Union High School District's website makes no reference to the controversy surrounding the school's closure and eventual reopening, merely stating that the school closed, due to declining enrollment, and later reopened.[1]

Reopening

The school reopened in 1983, and in 1984, 875 students were enrolled at the school.[6]

Campus

The school's campus was built using funds from the Works Progress Administration and Public Works Administration, both established as part of the New Deal.[4]

The school is noted for having built-in lockers in the hallways, at a time when every other school within the Phoenix Union High School District has removed theirs.[4] Film and commercial producers have said the school reminds people of a traditional high school.[4]

The school's football field contains lattice tower light poles and a concrete grandstand.[4]

In popular culture

The 1996 movie No One Would Tell was filmed on the school's campus.

Charles Barkley filmed his "I am not a role model" commercial for Nike at the school's gymnasium.[4]

Notable alumni

Beverly Garland in 1945

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "District Information / History". Phoenix Union High School District. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  2. ^ "Administrative Team / Campus". Phoenix Union High School District. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  3. ^ a b c "North High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Creno, Cathryn (1 July 2014). "17 historic schools in metro Phoenix". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  5. ^ Arroyo Rodriguez, Nadine (18 October 2013). "Did You Know: George Washington Carver High School Has Rich History". KJZZ-FM. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Arizona High School Enrollment Figures (1912-2005)" (PDF). aiaonline.org.
  7. ^ a b c "Phoenix Union High School District Desegregation Funding: History and Impact" (PDF). Morrison Institute for Public Policy. November 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  8. ^ "Retired Navajo Nation district judge dies". Albuquerque Journal. Associated Press. 2013-05-24. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
  9. ^ "Who Is Ed Buck?". 16 August 2017.
  10. ^ "Hoofbeats "Beverly Fessenden" (North High School, Phoenix, Arizona)". Ancestry.com. Generations Network. 1944. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  11. ^ "Hoofbeats "Beverly Fessenden" (North High School, Phoenix, Arizona)". Ancestry.com. Generations Network. 1945. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  12. ^ Duckler, Ray (November 2, 2017). "Authorities piece together a N.H. cold case in an attempt to ID victims". Concord Monitor. Retrieved August 28, 2020.

External links