Hopkins Academy

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Hopkins Academy
Address
131 Russell Street
Hadley, Massachusetts 01035
Information
Established 1664
Principal Michael Rooney[1]
Enrollment 250
Color(s) Gold and White
Mascot Golden Hawks
Average SAT scores 552 verbal
530 math
539 writing (2010)[2]
Website hadleyschools.org/hopkins.htm

Hopkins Academy is the public middle (7th and 8th grade) and senior (9th–12th grade) high school for the town of Hadley, Massachusetts.[3]

Founding

The school was founded in 1664 with an endowment from a wealthy Connecticut merchant, Edward Hopkins. Hopkins died in 1657 and in his will he set up a trust naming John Davenport, Theophilus Eaton, John Cullick and William Goodwin as trustees. Goodwin, who helped to settle Hadley, used part of Hopkins' trust to set up a fund for the then Hopkins Donation School. The Hadley townspeople donated land to help build up the trust to pay for educational costs. The Hopkins Trust is the oldest charitable fund to be in continuous use in the United States.[4] Edward Hopkins played a pivotal role in establishing and operating other prominent institutions within the United States, including Harvard University. As a result, Hopkins Academy is "related" to many well-known schools, including Yale, Amherst College, and the Hopkins School of New Haven, Connecticut.[5] For many years, Hopkins Academy was a private school, however, it has been the only public high school in Hadley for many decades.[5] It is also the fourth oldest public high school in the United States that is still in operation.

Academics

Since the inception of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS), Hopkins Academy has consistently scored among the top schools in Massachusetts. In 2008, The Boston Globe ranked Hopkins' 10th graders (under the title "Hadley Public Schools") 2nd in mathematics and tied for 33rd in ELA in the state of Massachusetts.[6] The school maintains a particular strength in mathematics, despite not having a specialized math program or an accelerated student population (such as the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI). In fact, Hopkins' 10th graders have scored near-perfect MCAS composite performance index (CPI) ratings for math in the past (99.4 in 2007).[7]

This success is generally attributed to small learning communities which yield a low student to teacher ratio. Many of Hopkins' graduates pursue 4-year degrees at prominent universities throughout the United States.

In January 2010, US News & World Report gave Hopkins a Bronze Medal on its list of the Top High Schools in America. Thirty-seven Massachusetts high schools made the list, but Hopkins was one of only two (along with Greenfield High School) located geographically west of Worcester.[8]

Despite above average MCAS scores, the school did not meet state mandated targets for equal education. The school met targets for the "White" and "Low Income" demographics, but failed to achieve the target in other areas.[9]

Athletics and extracurricular activities

The school offers many sports, such as soccer, basketball, cheerleading, baseball, softball, golf and equestrian teams; all of which compete in the MIAA Division III Hampshire League. Hopkins' athletic rival is Smith Academy in nearby Hatfield, Massachusetts. Hopkins also has a music program comprising a marching band, pep band, and jazz band.

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ "SAT Performance Report - School and District Profiles: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education". Profiles.doe.mass.edu. Retrieved 2013-10-14. 
  3. ↑ http://www.hadleyschools.org/hopkins.htm
  4. ↑ Cutter, Mary Lou Brockett (1980). Life Beside the Connecticut River. Hatfield, MA: Hatfield Printing & Publishing. pp. 101–106. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Alumni Association of Hopkins Academy, Hadley, Massachusetts: Page". Hopkinsalumni.org. Retrieved 2013-10-14. 
  6. ↑ "Top-scoring districts on the 2008 10th-grade MCAS exams - The Boston Globe". Boston.com. 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2013-10-14. 
  7. ↑ "Hopkins Academy School in Hadley, Massachusetts (MA) - Test Results, Rating, Ranking, Grades, Scores, Classes, Enrollment, Teachers, Students, and Report Card". City-data.com. Retrieved 2013-10-14. 
  8. ↑ "Hopkins Academy in HADLEY, MA | Best High Schools". US News. Retrieved 2013-10-14. 
  9. ↑ http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/accountability/report/district.aspx?linkid=30&orgcode=01170000&orgtypecode=5&

External links

Coordinates: 42°20′30.32″N 72°35′28.32″W / 42.3417556°N 72.5912000°W / 42.3417556; -72.5912000

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