Danbury High School (Connecticut)

Danbury High School
View of athletic facilities, Danbury High School, Danbury CT
Address
43 Clapboard Ridge Road Danbury, Connecticut United States
Coordinates	41°24′59″N 73°28′13″W / 41.4163°N 73.4704°W / 41.4163; -73.4704Coordinates: 41°24′59″N 73°28′13″W / 41.4163°N 73.4704°W / 41.4163; -73.4704
Information
Type	Public
Established	1906
School district	Danbury School District
Principal	Mr. Donovan
Grades	9th–12th
Number of students	approx. 3000
Color(s)	Blue and orange
Mascot	Mad Hatter
Website	www.danbury.k12.ct.us/dhsweb/main/index.html

Danbury High School is a public high school in Danbury, Connecticut, with approximately 3000 students. Despite Danbury's population of just under 81,000 (as of 2016), there is only one public high school, along with several small private schools, and one vocational high school in the city. The school is located in a suburban, residential neighborhood atop a hill that overlooks most of the city.

Danbury High School is the largest high school in the state. Many of the students come from homes in which English is not the dominant spoken language. Therefore, the school offers a wide variety of ESL programs in many different subject areas. Walking through the halls of the school, it is possible to hear over 50 different languages and associated dialects being spoken by the students. Likewise, many of the students will be the first in their family to go on to college. The school's culture and classes are definitely enriched by the diverse student population and the experiences they bring to their education.

Danbury High School also offers a large number of AP courses in a wide variety of curricular areas. For example, in the Social Studies Department, AP courses are offered in Human Geography, Government and Politics, European History, Micro and Macro Economics, Psychology, and U.S. History.

Danbury High School is supplemented by a magnet program called the Alternative Center for Excellence. This program provides a Danbury High School diploma but exhibits additional criteria not required by most local institutions.

Danbury High School recently was awarded $100,000 after winning the State Farm Insurance "Celebrate My Drive" campaign. The "Celebrate My Drive" campaign encourages teens to make positive choices as they start driving.

In 1927, a new high school was built on 181 White Street in Danbury. This building served as the city's main high school, until a rapid increase in Danbury's population compelled a major school construction program. In 1965, a new Danbury High School was dedicated on Clapboard Ridge. This campus is still the current location of the school today. In October 11th 1969 rock band The Doors performed live at the school

In 2009, the cafeteria workers formed their own union after what is now known as the "Great Cheeseburger Brawl".

Danbury High School is currently classified by the State of Connecticut Department of Education as a 'review school'. Review Schools are among Connecticut's lowest performing, irrespective of Title I status. All schools with CMT/ CAPT 2012 participation rates less than 95 percent, four-year cohort graduation rates below 60 percent (for the graduating class of 2011), three-year baseline School Performance Indexes (SPIs) below 64 or identification as Focus Schools were classified as Review Schools.