Rockford Central High School

Rockford High School
Address
201 South Madison Street Rockford, Illinois 61108 United States
Information
School type	Public Secondary
Opened	1885
Closed	1940
School district	Rockford Public School District 205
Grades	9–12
Gender	Coed
Color(s)	Red      Black
Athletics conference	Big 7
Team name	RABS (Red And Blacks)
Yearbook	The Owl
Website	Home

Rockford Central High School
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Location	Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois, United States
Coordinates	42°16′5″N 89°5′29″W / 42.26806°N 89.09139°W / 42.26806; -89.09139Coordinates: 42°16′5″N 89°5′29″W / 42.26806°N 89.09139°W / 42.26806; -89.09139
Built	1905
Architect	Edward Peterson & Gilbert Johnson
Architectural style	Classical Revival
Part of	Haight Village Historic District (#87002044)
Added to NRHP	November 20, 1987

Rockford High School (est. 1885) is a defunct school in the city of Rockford, Illinois. Rockford, the second largest city in the Land of Lincoln, established a central location for all students to attend high school in 1885. This building would be continuously used as an educational facility until September 1940.

Prior to providing a central location for education, students attended two separate school districts, one being located on the East side of the Rock River, the other on the West side. These school districts were established in 1854, and opened buildings in 1857. By 1862, each district established a high school, creating an East-vs-West issue that would continue on for 20 years, finally uniting in 1884.

In 1884, the two districts came together and established a single high school located at 201 South Madison Street. The first commencement included twenty graduates in 1885. About 100 total students were enrolled in Rockford High School during its inaugural year. That number grew to 600 by 1900 and by the year 1940, that number would multiply to nearly 3,600 students.

By 1935, the attendance at the single high school grew too large. The board of education decided it would be best to, once again, establish two new high schools on the East and West sides of the Rock River. In September 1940, Rockford East and Rockford West High Schools opened. Rockford West, located on North Rockton Avenue on the Northwest side of the city, remained open for 48 years as a high school. It now serves as West Middle School for the Rockford Public School System. Rockford East, located on Charles Street, is still a functioning high school and maintains the traditions of Rockford High School.

Rockford High School was built as two separate buildings attached by an underground hallway. This hallway became known as "Rat Alley". It contained rows of wooden lockers and was only accessible by walking through the “haunted area” also known as the shop.

It was the first high school in the United States to organize a band that played at the halftime of a football game, now known as a marching band.

The Annual, or yearbook as it is called now, was entitled "The Owl". It was founded in 1890 and has been published continually since 1892. Rockford was the second high school in the country to establish a yearbook.