Ridgefield High School (Connecticut)

Ridgefield High School is a four-year public high school located on North Salem Road in Ridgefield, Connecticut. It was voted #683 in Newsweek's 2010 list of the top 1600 high schools in America and #226 in U.S. News & World Report's 2012 list of the top 4813 high schools. The school mascot is the Tiger.

RHS has undergone massive and costly renovations in the past 5 years. Ridgefield High boasts many new facilities, including the two-story-high, glass-enclosed student center and the all marble Student Life Office. (SLO)

Students

Enrollment in the school has risen in past years.^[1]

Academic achievement

Scotts Ridge Middle School (closer) and Ridgefield High School (farther) share the same campus.

341 students took 754 advanced placement (AP) exams in May 2006, with 92.2 percent of exams with scores of 3 or higher. In the eight years up through the 2005-2006 school year, the number of students taking AP exams has tripled.^[2]

The school's dropout rate has remained consistent over the years at 1 percent. Daily attendance has been similarly steady at 95 percent.^[2]

District Reference Group A

For the purpose of comparison with the achievement levels of similar schools, the state Department of Education classifies schools and communities in "District Reference Groups", defined as "districts whose students' families are similar in education, income, occupation and need, and that have roughly similar enrollment".^[3] Ridgefield is one of eight school districts in District Reference Group A (the others are Darien, Easton, New Canaan, Redding, Weston, Westport, and Wilton).^[4]

Curriculum

In recent years a number of computer-related subjects have been added to the curriculum, including computer art, computer music, engineering (Project Lead the Way), digital design studio, and Advanced Placement Computer Science.^[1]

Athletics

About 65 percent of the student body participates in at least one interscholastic athletic activity.^[2] Ridgefield High is a member of the FCIAC Athletic conference. Each year RHS sends many students to play a variety of sports at the collegiate level. In 2013 the Ridgefield boys swept the FCIAC cross country championships, placing 4 runners in the top 10, and scoring 28 points. Then at the state open they did the same but scored 58 points, dominating the competition. Senior Trevor Hopper was the New England champion.

Notable alumni

• Jared Bernstein, economist^[5]
• John H. Frey (1981), member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
• Bill Lawrence, writer/producer for shows such as Spin City and Scrubs
• Curt Onalfo, MLS player and coach
• Erland van Lidth de Jeude, actor, Olympic wrestler and computer scientist
• Chris Winnes, NHL player
• Mark Salzman, writer

Notes

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ridgefield High School "Strategic School Profile 2005-2006", Connecticut Department of Education, "Supplemental School Information" section, page 6
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Ridgefield High School "Strategic School Profile 2005-2006", Connecticut Department of Education, "Evidence of Sustained Improvement in Student Accomplishments" section, page 6
3. ↑ state "Strategic School Profile 2005-2006" for Wilton High School. Retrieved March 25, 2007.
4. ↑ Web page titled "Find a Community: By Educational Reference Group (DRG)" at the "Discovery 2007 / An initiative of the William Caspar Graustein Fund" Web site. Retrieved March 25, 2007.
5. ↑ Reid, Macklin (2011-05-01). "Jared Bernstein, RHS graduate, is leaving Obama administration". The Ridgefield Press (Hersam Acorn Newspapers). Retrieved 2011-05-21. 

External links

• Ridgefield High School Web page at Great Schools Web site
• Ridgefield High School "Strategic School Profile 2005-2006," Connecticut Department of Education

Coordinates: 41°19′31″N 73°31′40″W / 41.3254°N 73.5278°W / 41.3254; -73.5278