Barrington High School is a public four-year high school located in Barrington, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Barrington Community Unit School District 220.

History

Original structure

Although the village of Barrington incorporated in 1865, the area did not have a dedicated permanent high school until 1949. Before that, Barrington had a K-12 school on Hough Street. On February 8, 1947, the village held an election to choose a site for a new high school.

Academics

Barrington High School reported that, in 2011, its students scored a composite average of 25 on the ACT college entrance exam, which is reportedly the highest average in the school's history and roughly four points higher than the state and national averages. The school is ranked No. 553 on Newsweek's 2008 list of the 1,300 best public high schools in America. Ninety-eight percent of Barrington's graduates enroll in college or post-graduate training programs. However, as of 2008, the State of Illinois found that Barrington had not made Adequate Yearly Progress as a part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, as multiple student sub-groups failed to make minimum progress.

According to the College Board, Barrington High School ranks in the top 1% of more than 14,350 high schools both nationally and internationally for the number of AP exams taken by students. District 220 has received the 2004 Bright A+ award for academic excellence from SchoolSearch. Barrington schools rank in the top 5% of Illinois districts, and SchoolMatch has selected District 220 as being among the top 16% of the nation's public school districts being recognized through their Educational Effectiveness Audits. The Physics Program, developed over 25 years, was featured in "Beyond 2000", an Australian television production. The Fine Arts Department is also one of the most comprehensive in Illinois. The studio-based art program received a state award for excellence, and an in-house gallery features regional and professional artists.

Fine Arts

In 2013, Barrington High School's Chamber Choir, formerly under the direction of Nancie Kozel-Tobison, was among 5 high school choral programs in the United States to perform in a choir festival in Carnegie Hall run by Choirs of America. Vocal ensembles, including madrigal groups, have performed at the White House, the Sydney Opera House, Chicago's Orchestra Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Capitol Hill Club, the Supreme Court, and the Goodman Theater, among other venues, festivals, and competitions.

BHS also is home to a bi-weekly school video production called BHS-TV, which has worked directly with CBS, WGN, FOX, Hollywood Chicago, Chicago Bears, Blackhawks, NFL Films, Gatorade, Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Bandits, Windy City Bulls, 365 Barrington and Quintessential Barrington. Students enrolled in BHS-TV have raised more than eight million dollars for charities and have earned more than 70 Student Excellence Awards from the National Television Academy. BHS-TV has also earned the award for Best News Program in the Midwest multiple times. In 2015 and 2016 President Obama invited the BHS-TV video students and their instructor to the White House Film Festival.

Athletics

thumb|right|Barrington High School marching band at homecoming football game

The school sponsors interscholastic athletic teams for young men and women in basketball, cross-country, cheerleading, golf, gymnastics, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, diving, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and water polo. Men may also compete in baseball, football, and wrestling. Women may compete in badminton, bowling, and softball.

While not sponsored by the IHSA, the school also sponsors teams for men and women in ice hockey, in addition to pom poms.

Some teams have won their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournament, including Baseball 1985–86, Cross Country (girls) 2003–04 and 2024, Golf (boys) 1992–93, Gymnastics (girls) 1999–2000, Soccer (boys) 2007–08, Soccer (girls) 2016-17 and 2017–18, and Track & Field (girls) 2006–07.

Notable alumni

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  • Craig Anderson, professional hockey goalie
  • William Beckett, solo artist and lead singer of The Academy Is... The band named their third studio album after the school, ‘Fast Times at Barrington High’
  • Paul Bragiel, Colombian National Team cross-country skier, venture capitalist
  • Kristin Cavallari, American television personality, fashion designer, and actress
  • Kallen Esperian, opera soprano
  • Jeff Galfer, actor, producer, and writer.
  • Gia Gunn, drag queen
  • Casey Larson, American ski jumper who competed in both the 2018 Olympics and the 2022 Olympics
  • Katrina Lenk, Tony Award-winning actress, instrumentalist, and singer.
  • Laura A. Lopez, professor of astronomy studying the life cycle of stars
  • Scott Lorenz, professional soccer player for Sporting Kansas City
  • Ryan Miller, professional soccer player and coach at the Portland Timbers Academy
  • Scotty Miller, NFL wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons
  • Terry Moran, co-anchor of the late–night news magazine program Nightline
  • Dan Stevenson, NFL football player for the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, and the Houston Texans
  • John Trautwein, former MLB player (Boston Red Sox)
  • John W Vanderpoel, ornithologist and author
  • Lukas Van Ness, professional football player for the Green Bay Packers
  • Townes Van Zandt, singer-songwriter
  • Joe Walsh, conservative talk radio host and former Republican Representative of Illinois's 8th congressional district
  • Amy Walter, political analyst who is the publisher and editor-in-chief of The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter
  • Dan Wilson, Major League Baseball catcher (1992–2005)
  • Colleen Zenk, actress