The Biggest High School in each state!
Ah, high school: that concentrated eco-system of competition, hormones and forgotten locker combinations.
If it's not terrifying enough to be told that your final exam will count for two-thirds of your entire grade, imagine attending a school of with hundreds of other kids. Even thousands.
On that note, here are the biggest (brick and mortar) high schools in each state. See you in the parking lot after last period.
1. Hoover High School, Hoover, AL
You'll be bumping shoulders with 2,770 other kids in this suburb of Birmingham. State records show that 95% of those kids excel in math and reading - which is helped by the fact that everyone gets an iPad to work on.
2. East High School, Anchorage, AK
There are 2,139 kids in this school, which offers challenging honors and AP classes. There are also lots of arts-related courses (unusual in an age of budget cuts). The sports facilities may be a little outdated, but the school is known for its tremendous "school spirit."
3. Hamilton High School, Chandler, AZ
This school in the Phoenix metro area instructs 3,665 kids. The academic program is outstanding, with plenty of Advanced Placement courses tied to a local college. Sports are also key, with a football team that's been undefeated for 15 years.
4. Bentonville High School, Bentonville, AR
The home of Wal-Mart, one of the world's biggest companies, is also home to the state's biggest high school. 4,144 students attend the school, with over half opting for at least one AP course.
5. Paramount High School, Paramount, CA
You'll be jostling against 4,869 other kids as you try to make it to study hall. Located in the Los Angeles metro area, the school has a slightly higher graduation rate than the national average - but not surprisingly, classes are super-crowded and you'll be fighting to the death for a spot in the parking lot.
6. Cherry Creek High School, Greenwood Village, CO
It's a competitive school of 3,507 kids. Some have commented that the challenging courses rival anything at "stuck up prep schools." Not surprisingly, the school is nationally recognized for academic excellence.
7. Danbury High School, Danbury, CT
A very diverse student body of 2,878. Students have favorably commented on the accepting atmosphere for kids of other cultures, backgrounds and orientations. Wow-high school kids actually being nice to each other?!
8. William Penn High School, New Castle Township, DE
For such a small state, this school sure has a lot of kids: 2,187 to be exact. Locals appreciate the excellent extra-curricular offerings and athletic teams. The football team recently won the state championship!
9. Woodrow Wilson High School
The competitive vibe of our nation's capital has clearly rubbed off on these 1,696 kids: SAT scores are above average and getting into a top-tier college or university is the main goal for most of the students.
10. Cypress Bay High School, Weston, FL
There are 4,403 kids here, but despite the high student-to-teacher ratio (23:1 vs. the national average of 16:1), students rave about the academic attention they get. Must be working: SAT scores are also higher than the national average.
11. Mill Creek High School, Hoschton, GA
A challenging academic program keep the school's 3,708 students engaged; but the extracurricular activities keep them excited. There are over 100 clubs and 20 varsity and JV sports teams. Almost every student is involved in at least one.
12. James Campbell High School, Ewa Beach, HI
If you have to go to school, may as well be in Hawaii --and with 2,890 other students. This high school offers popular "community service" clubs as an extracurricular activity: kids do everything from food drives to neighborhood cleanups. And naturally, there's a Hula club.
13. Mountain View High School, Meridian, ID
The biggest complaint is that it's "crowded." No wonder, with 2,170 students. Nonetheless, the variety of classes gets a big thumbs up - even if those thumbs have to squeeze in between all the other thumbs.
14. Waukegan High School, Waukegan, IL
In an online survey, the kids note that the diversity of people at this school is one of its best features. With 4,391 students, that's a lot of "diverse." Sci-fi author Ray Bradbury attended here, back in the day.
15. Carmel High School, Carmel, IN
With 4,774 students, it's the biggest high school in the state - but one of the best, also. Students regularly surpass the national average on SAT scores, and the academic program is nationally recognized.
16. East High School, Des Moines, IA
Some of the 2,294 students have noted online that the courses aren't challenging enough, especially for those who hope to attend a top college. Oh yeah, and they give the food a grade of only "C+." But then, what cafeteria food was ever better than that?
17. East High School, Wichita, KS
It's hard to get kids to agree on much, but among these 2,248 students, two things pretty much have a consensus: the classes are tough, but stimulating, and the school does a great job in creating clubs and events for everyone, including disabled students.
18. Henry Clay High School, Lexington, KY
Yes, at 2,330 kids, the biggest complaint is "overcrowding." But considering that those same kids regularly surpass national SAT scores (by almost 300 points), they're not letting the tight squeeze in the classrooms slow 'em down.
19. Lafayette High School, Lafayette, LA
The school offers multiple "academies," which give students a chance for total immersion in a particular subject -a language, performing arts and more. Sports and athletics are also big among the school's 2,442 kids.
20. Lewiston High School, Lewiston, ME
The kids here seem to like sports the most. The administration? Not so much ("too strict!"). But hey, since when did teenagers ever like authority figures? And when you have 1,362 students, you need authority figures.
21. Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, MD
The teachers are highly regarded at this school of 2,790 students. And clearly, they're doing their job, despite the numbers of kids they're instructing: students score far above the national average on standardized tests.
22. Brockton High School, Brockton, MA
Legendary boxer Rocky Marciano once attended this school - and those mitts would come in handy today: 'cause you're going down the hall, fighting your way through the 4,146 kids who go here. 4,146….!
23. Grand Blanc High School, Grand Blanc, MI
With a teacher-to-student ratio of 21:1, and 2,707 of said students crowding the classrooms, it's impressive that the kids regularly beat the national averages on standardized tests. Plus, their sports teams do great, too!
24. Wayzata High School, Plymouth, MN
With 3,171 students, it's the biggest high school in the state - but it's also among the best, with some impressive academic stats. For example, "1700" is the national average on the SAT's; these kids kill it with an average score of 2090.
25. Tupelo High School, Tupelo, MS
These 1,984 students take their grades seriously, always doing well on college-prep and standardized tests. But sports are huge here as well - and many of their teams regularly make the state playoffs.
26. Jefferson City High School, Jefferson City, MO
It's called the "Show Me" state; but the 2,573 students of this school will also "tell you" - that the hallways are crowded and the cafeteria is a scene out of the Zombie Apocalypse. But hey, they love their teachers!
27. Bozeman High School, Bozeman, MT
Almost 2,000 kids (1,951 to be exact) attend classes here on the school's 54 acres. Known for its stringent academic standards, Bozeman High has appeared on Newsweek magazine's list of the best high schools in the US. It places within the top 3% of all schools in the country.
28. Central High School, Omaha, NE
It's changed a lot from the days when actor Henry Fonda attended - as in the current number of students: 2,601! And now, you can take Zumba classes along with algebra and French.
29. Rancho High School, North Las Vega, NV
The 3,166 students at this school don't gamble with their future: they take full advantage of the college-prep resources and counselors available to them. And for a city known for its glitz, it's hardly surprising that the Dance Team and Marching Band are the two most popular extracurricular activities!
30. Pinkerton Academy, Derry, NH
When asked what one word best describes their school, "huge" was the winner. Yes, 3,013 students would need a space that large. But even with that number, the teacher-student ratio is better than the national average: 13:1 (versus 16:1).
31. Passaic County Technical Institute, Wayne, NJ
The 3,267 students here get a chance to study potential careers like criminal justice and cosmetology. But they give their sports teams equal attention, too with excellent coaches and facilities.
32. Rio Rancho High School, Rio Rancho, NM
Even with 2,477 students and tons of activities, this school manages something pretty impressive: funding for sports teams is so robust that the kids don't have to pay anything towards uniforms, travel or anything else.
33. Brooklyn Technical High School, Brooklyn, NY
The students at this massive school (5,457) regularly romp through their SAT's. The average score is 1960, almost 300 points over the national average. The academic offerings are nationally recognized, and the kids are super-focused.
34. Myers Park High School, Charlotte, NC
Academics are important to the school's 2,775 students. But sports activities ("disc golf," anyone?) and teams are also key: the kids describe most of their classmates as "athletic."
35. Bismarck High School, Bismarck, ND
The student body (1,612 strong) is extremely active, with lots of participation in sports and clubs. That's one thing that stands out among the kids, the energy and involvement (hardly things sullen teens are known for…..)
36. William Mason High School, Mason, OH
There are 3,350 students in this school, located in the Cincinnati area. It offers lots of honors and AP classes, and the kids clearly love the challenge: their test scores regularly beat the national averages.
37. Union High School, Tulsa, OK
The size of this school is even more impressive when you figure that 3,336 students are divided not between the usual four grades (9-12), but only three (10-12). Those are some biiiig classes. Academics are strong, but their sports facilities rival those of a small college!
38. David Douglas High School, Portland, OR
With 3,224 kids, no wonder there's some dissatisfaction over classroom quality and the high number of students per teacher (25:1 versus the national average of 16:1). But one thing that does get raves is the school's music program.
39. Upper Darby Senior High School, Drexel Hill, PA
Tina Fey is a famous alumnus - and a sense of humor is helpful when you're pushing through the school's 3,638 students. But despite those conditions, the kids enjoy the amazing diversity: almost 100 countries are represented among the student body.
40. Coventry High School, Coventry Town, RI
Among the 1,607 students, there's a feeling that "school spirit" is on the wane, which is a shame since their football field and track just got a nice upgrade. Still, the teachers are appreciated for the creative, hard work they do with the kids.
41. Wando High School, Mount Pleasant, SC
The biggest school in the state (3,701) is also one of top-ranked overall.Besides the excellent academic programs, the students seem to not mind the crowd. In fact, they say that all that diversity is one of the best things about the school.
42. Roosevelt High School, Sioux Falls, SD
For these 2,134 students, sports are huge. The football team gets a ton of support from the community, and there are a lot of "state championship" trophies in the display case. A lot of kids also transfer into this school for its challenging academics.
43. White Station High School, Memphis, TN
With dozens of advanced placement and honors courses, it's considered one of the best in the area when it comes to public education. Some of the 2,309 kids complain that the building keeps being "added on" to, which makes getting to class akin to running an obstacle course.
44. North Shore Senior High School, Houston, TX
Everything is bigger in Texas - including this massive school with 4,723 kids. Despite the daunting task of educating all these students, the general feeling among those students is that their teachers do an amazing job against some tough odds.
45. Granger High School, West Valley City, UT
This school of 2,884 isn't exactly known for scholastic excellence, but they keep trying to up their game (that's the spirit!). Things that DO get high marks are the support from parents and the variety of clubs and activities that expose the kids to other cultures.
46. Essex High School, Essex Junction, VT
It's ranked high in the state for its academic chops - and #1 in size for a student body comprising 1,285 kids. The students keep their edge (and their above average test scores) via technology resources that are continually being upgraded.
47. T.C. Williams High School, Alexandria, VA
The number of students (3,324) isn't the only thing that's impressive about the school: their rowing team competes nationally and internationally, and their football team was the subject of the 2000 movie Remember the Titans, starring Denzel Washington.
48. Chiawana Senior High School, Pasco, WA
The largest high school in the Evergreen State currently educates 2,324 kids. Some of the students complain that the course work is either too hard or too easy, with not much in between. But the school gets positive marks for their performing arts offerings and football program.
49. Cabell Midland High School, Ona, WV
At this high school of 1,885 kids, the football team regularly makes it to state championships. It's also considered one of the more technologically advanced schools in the state, which undoubtedly contributes to the higher-than-average test scores.
50. Arrowhead High School, Hartland, WI
Their 2,257 students regularly beat the national SAT score average (by almost 300 points). Plus, Arrowhead is considered the best school in the state for all things sports, and is in the top 10 high schools nationwide for athletics.
51. Natrona County High School, Casper, WY
There's so much wide-open space in the state - just not inside this huge school. The student population totals 1,739. Besides the variety of AP and honors options, the extracurricular opportunities aren't too shabby: the debate team is one of the best in the state.