| Hernando High School | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Leopard Pride, Bring It! |
| Established | 1889 |
| Type | Public Secondary |
| Category | Co-Educational |
| Principal | Ken Pritz |
| Asst. Principal | Brent Gaustad, Mary Krabel, Jill Renihan |
| Students | Approximately 1,400 students |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Location | 700 Bell Ave., Brooksville, Florida, United States |
| District | Hernando County School District |
| Oversight | Florida Department of Education |
| Colors | Purple and Gold |
| Mascot | Leopard |
| Yearbook | Leopard's Growl |
| Newspaper | The Purple and Gold Press |
| Website | http://www.hcsb.k12.fl.us/hhs/ |
Hernando High School is a public high school located in Brooksville, Florida. It is part of the Hernando County School District. It has been in operation since 1889, which makes it one of the oldest, continuously operating public high schools in the United States. HHS has a large network of alumni that maintain strong ties to the school. HHS' alumni association hosted a reunion event in 2005 that boasted attendance of hundreds of alumni from the Class of 1927 through the Class of 1998.
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Hernando High School is one of five high schools in Hernando County. Brooksville is a rural community of about 9000 residents, located 40 miles north of Tampa and 60 miles west of Orlando on Florida's Nature Coast
The school day is composed of seven 50 minute class periods with two lunch periods (A,& B). A broad range of course offerings include student education, career and technical courses and low level academics. The curriculum also includes dual enrollment programs through Pasco-Hernando Community College as well as Advanced Placement courses on campus and through Florida Virtual School.
In 1849, the Florida Legislature passed and enacted its first Educational Legislation. This new law authorized construction of schools. At this time Hernando County included what is now known as Citrus and Pasco Counties. In the 1850s a handful of privately constructed schools existed in Hernando County in the Bayport and Spring Hill communities as well as a school in the Union Baptist Church in Brooksville.
In October 1887, the State Legislature enacted legislation that split Hernando County into 3 smaller counties; Citrus County - to the north, Pasco County, to the south, and Hernando County, in the center of the two. When the county was split into three, Brooksville, FL (in Hernando County) was the only community large enough to support a high school. So a committee was formed to establish such a school. This committee consisted of 3 locally prominent businessmen, William S. Hope, S.W. Davis and Warren W. Springstead. In October 1888 the committee proposed building a school designed to house grades 1 through 10. At the time, 10th would be the highest level of education offered in Hernando County
The proposal passed and the committee purchased land for the new school from Martha and Thomas Cook in the Saxon Heights area near the old Scarborough House. The land was purchased for a total of $499.00. A frame structure was completed and on February 4, 1889 Hernando High School opened its doors for the first time. At its inception the Hernando High School staff consisted of Principal E. R. Warrener and 3 teachers. Hardy Croom and Alda Burns Wright were notable members of the inaugural class of 1889
The appearance of the current Hernando High School Complex ranks among the most beautiful in the Hernando County School District.