Public secondary school in Andover, Massachusetts, United States
Andover High School (formerly Punchard High School, The School at Punchard, or Punchard Free School) is a secondary school in the town of Andover, Massachusetts, United States. It is the only public high school in the Andover Public Schools district.[4] The school's administration is headed by Betty Taylor,[5] the interim principal, and is overseen by Superintendent of Schools Magda Parvey.[6]
November 2011 "soggy biscuit" incident
In November 2011, The Eagle-Tribune reported that police were investigating claims that two Andover High School (Massachusetts) basketball players were hazed by older team members into playing the game.[7] In January 2012, it was reported that two students had been expelled over the incident and a further five were suspended. A grand jury was convened to determine if any of the students should be charged criminally.[8]
Campus
Overview
As of June 2020,[5] The Andover High School campus comprises one central academic facility, housing several classrooms, laboratories, health center and administrative offices. Connected to its northwest side[9] is the J. Everett Collins Center for the Performing Arts, an auditorium that seats 1,203[10] people and is used for both school and town functions. To the southeast,[9] two indoor athletic facilities abut the academic center (the Dunn Gymnasium[11] and the Field House[12]) alongside central locker rooms and athletic offices and storage. The school has a media center/library located in the center of the school and a cafeteria located toward the north-west side of the school, just south of the Collins Center.
Outdoor athletic fields
Andover's campus contains 4 fields (Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest) and 1 stadium[13] for athletic use.[5][9] The northeast and northwest fields are divided by the main artery roadway off of Shawsheen road. The northwest field contains 1 baseball diamond and dugouts respectively. The south-most portion of the northwest field contains a hill, disqualifying that portion of the field from most athletic uses, however, is commonly used for sledding in the winter seasons.[14] The northeast and southeast fields are generally flat and each contain baseball and softball diamonds respectively. The southwest field is the smallest, by area, and is primarily used only by the physical education classes for outdoor activity.
Immediately northeast[9] of the Dunn Gymnasium, there are accommodations for up to seven tennis matches.
The Eugene V. Lovely Memorial Field is Andover's outdoor football stadium. It was formerly used for the high school's commencement[15] but was then abandoned due to size limitations as the school's population rose. The stadium is primarily used by Andover's football team, the Golden Warriors. In addition to bleachers and a turf field,[16] there is a 400 meter track, and accommodations for field activities for track-and-field teams. Along the east side of the field, there are locker room facilities, along with a building used for the sales of concessions. The Eugene V. Lovely field is located to the far south of the school's campus, and abuts the parking lot off of Red Spring road.[9]
Parking
The Andover High School campus facilitates parking and traffic patterns for students and faculty. To the far north, immediately adjacent to Shawsheen Road, a portion of the West Middle School parking lot is allocated for student parking. Additional student allocations include a lot immediately north of the tennis courts, along Moraine Street, and in the parking lot to the south of the Eugene V. Lovely field, abutting Red Spring Road.[9] Faculty parking is accommodated in lots adjacent to the J. Everett Collins Center and to the south of the field house.
[17]
Andover Youth Services Skate Park
The Town Of Andover's Youth Services manages a skate park at the east side[9] of the school's campus.
Plans for renovation
Since October 2018, the Andover School Committee has held sub-committee meetings regarding the state of facilities at the High School. Citing overcrowding and outdated facilities, the town sought monetary allocations from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA),[18] however, have been repeatedly denied. Andover residents approved article 18 at the 2022 annual town meeting, which appropriated $1.5 million to infrastructure repairs at the high school.[19] As of May 2022, discussions toward future renovations are ongoing.[11][20]
Student life
Andover High School offers a variety of activities for students.
Sports are also offered at Andover High School for both men and women. Offered year round, the sports vary from Track and Field to Swimming and Diving as well as Volleyball. The teams compete in the Merrimack Valley Conference. The teams, whose mascot is a golden eagle, are styled as the Golden Warriors.
Performing arts programs, including a drama guild, show choir, other vocal ensembles, marching band and orchestra are facilitated in the J. Everett Collins Center for the Performing Arts.[21][22]
Demographics
According to Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education annual statistics, for the 2020–2021 academic year, the demographic enrollment distributions for race, gender and grade level at Andover High School (Massachusetts) are as follows:
Total number of enrolled students: 1,756
Total number of full-time equivalent educators: 132.8
Therefore, the student to teacher ratio for this school is 13.2:1
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity (2020–2021)[23]
| Race
|
Enrolled Pupils*
|
% of District
|
| African American
|
46
|
2.6%
|
| Asian
|
341
|
19.4%
|
| Hispanic
|
126
|
7.2%
|
| Native American
|
4
|
0.2%
|
| White
|
1,198
|
68.2%
|
| Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander
|
0
|
0%
|
| Multi-Race, Non-Hispanic
|
42
|
2.4%
|
| Total
|
1,756
|
100%
|
* Approximate number of enrolled pupils is calculated based on total number of students in district, multiplied by reported percentage, and rounded to nearest whole student.
Enrollment by gender (2020–2021)[23]
| Gender
|
Enrolled pupils
|
Percentage
|
| Female
|
937
|
53.36%
|
| Male
|
816
|
46.47%
|
| Non-binary
|
3
|
0.17%
|
| Total
|
1,756
|
100%
|
Enrollment by Grade[23]
| Grade
|
Pupils Enrolled
|
Percentage
|
| 9
|
437
|
24.89%
|
| 10
|
437
|
24.89%
|
| 11
|
408
|
23.23%
|
| 12
|
446
|
25.4%
|
| SP*
|
28
|
1.59%
|
| Total
|
1,756
|
100%
|
* SP = Special Education Beyond Grade 12[24]
