North Canyon High School | |
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Location | |
1700 E. Union Hills Drive Phoenix, AZ |
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Coordinates | 33°39′24″N 112°02′36″W / 33.656776°N 112.043441°WCoordinates: 33°39′24″N 112°02′36″W / 33.656776°N 112.043441°W |
Information | |
Type | Public high school |
Established | 1991 |
School district | Paradise Valley Unified School District |
Principal | Elaine Jacobs |
Grades | 9–12 |
Enrollment | 2,180 (October 1, 2012) |
Color(s) | Black and Purple |
Mascot | Rattlers |
Website | North Canyon High School |
North Canyon High School (NCHS) is a nationally recognized public high school located in north central Phoenix, Arizona. It features an International Baccalaureate (IB) program. It enrolls approximately 2500 students and is the largest high school by student body in the Paradise Valley Unified School District.
The campus opened in the 1990-1991 school year as Paradise Valley High School before PVHS moved into their remodeled school. It became North Canyon starting in the 1992-1993 school year. The first graduating class was the class of 1996.
The school's athletics teams are known as the Rattlers, and the school colors are purple and black.
North Canyon features special programs in academics. In addition to its IB Diploma Programme, NCHS offers a variety of Advanced Placement classes, and many of its highest-ranking students have grade point averages above 4.0. Students have won a vast array of awards spanning from the sciences to literary honors, from a football state championship to a sophomore tennis state championship. In the class of 2009, there were ten National Merit semi-finalists.
North Canyon's Academic Decathlon team won the State Championship in 1995 and 1999, placing fourth and fifth, respectively, at Nationals.
In 2007, North Canyon was on Newsweek's list of top schools in the country, placing 837th out of thousands of schools.
The Instrumental Music Department is led by Dylan Suehiro, a graduate of Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music. Featuring band, orchestra, guitar, and percussion classes, North Canyon showcases a well-rounded instrumental music curriculum. Main performances are held four times a year, and the ensembles are also featured in many other venues, including events with schools from around the state.
The North Canyon High School Marching Band is known as the "Marching Rattlers." When the school opened, the name of the ensemble was "The Stars of the North," which was changed in 2013 to align with the school's mascot. Averaging around 40 members, the band serves two distinct, but related functions: presenting popular music (stand tunes) in performance at assemblies, at athletic events, and around the community; and advancing the art of the field performance, through the exploration of movement, and a blend of classical and modern music. The Marching Rattlers have been featured at the Bully Patrol Squad Assembly at Cactus View Elementary School.