Framingham High School (FHS) is a public high school in Framingham, Massachusetts, United States, serving grades 9 through 12. It is located approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Boston and enrolls about 2,500 students, making it one of the largest high schools in the state.
The school traces its origins to the late 18th century through the Framingham Academy and related institutions. The later Framingham High School was established in 1991 through the merger of Framingham North High School and Framingham South High School.
History
The Framingham Academy was established in 1798, replacing the organization known as the Proprietors of the Brick School House, which had formed in 1792.
The current high school was created when Framingham North High School and Framingham South High School merged in 1991.
The town of Framingham gave the academy $1000, but some time later this was determined to be illegal and the academy was dissolved.
The high school was formed in 1852 and later became the legal successor to the academy. Thus, the high school can be considered to be founded in either 1792 or 1852.
In 1963, due to an increasing school population, the original Framingham High was split into two schools: Framingham North High School and Framingham South High School.
South High was located in the Flagg Drive campus in South Framingham (in the now-demolished Fuller Middle School, which was replaced with a new building at 31 Flagg Drive in 2021) and North High was located at a new school building at Winch Park on A St. in Saxonville.
Originally, North High shared facilities with Winch Park Middle School ("E" & "F" halls in the current building) until 1974 when the first Cameron Middle School opened on Elm Street.
The two high schools remained separate until 1991 when they were merged to create a unified school under the name Framingham High School.
On a visit on October 20, 1994, President Bill Clinton signed the Improving America's Schools Act (IASA) in the school's John F. Kennedy gymnasium.
Academics
In the late 1990s, Framingham High School was identified as an underperforming school. After a series of reforms in the early and mid-2000s, student performance improved, with higher state test scores and increased participation in Advanced Placement courses. In later years, the school performed better on standardized assessments than many districts serving similar student populations. In 2008, Newsweek listed Framingham High among the top 500 high schools in the United States.
The school has also been noted for outcomes among students learning English as a second or foreign language. Many students become proficient in English after several years of instruction, and Framingham reports higher graduation rates and test scores than other districts with large English-learner populations. State law allows families to choose English-only instruction, but few parents of high school students in Framingham select this option.
Framingham High uses a co-teaching approach in many classes, with two teachers working together. The model emphasizes collaboration and has been cited as a factor in the school’s designation as a Commonwealth Compass School.
The school offers a range of programs to support students who need additional help, including mentoring, peer tutoring, academic support services, and an alternative high school campus.
Framingham High School has received several state recognitions, including designation as a Commonwealth Compass School