Arnold High School

History

Arnold High School was commissioned for $34 million in 1998. The 330,000 square foot facility, designed by JRA Architects, opened to students and staff in August 2000. This makes it the youngest high school in Bay County, FL.

Arnold Today

Arnold High School serves 1,616 students from the Panama City Beach, Florida community. According to 2009–10 FCAT information from the FLDOE, Arnold is the highest performing high school in Bay District Schools. Arnold is also home to some of the most decorated sports and fine arts programs in the district.

Demographics

All demographic information is from the National Center for Education Statistics.

Collegiate Studies

Arnold High School offers a comprehensive program for advanced students, allowing participants to earn over 30 college course hours during their time on campus. According to the Bay District Schools website, Arnold High School Collegiate Studies graduates in 2010 earned, on average, 34.5 college hours. This was the highest average of the districts college preparatory programs.

Currently, the Collegiate Studies program offers AP English, AP Literature, AP US Government, AP Microeconomics, AP Macroeconomics, AP European History, AP Statistics, AP Calculus (AB and BC), AP Physics, AP Chemistry, AP Psychology, AP Art, AP American History, AP Music Theory, and AP Human Geography.

Football

Arnold first fielded a football team in 2000. Currently, the Arnold Marlins play in Class 5A-District 1 of the FHSAA. Arnold plays all home games at Mike Gavlak stadium on campus. The stadium was built in 2000 and is the second stadium built on campus in Bay County after Tommy Oliver stadium, built off of Harrison Avenue in downtown Panama City, Florida in the 1960s (currently being remodeled) and used by Bay High School, A. Crawford Mosley High School, and Rutherford High School.

Band

Arnold's band is one of the best in the county, consisting of over 200 members and receiving superior scores almost every single year. The band dons the name The Blue Thunder Band for its thick, strong sound on the field. The marching band is very active, attending every football game and several competitions during the fall season. The band received superior rankings overall at all competitions this year, 2015. The band is also a vibrant part of Panama City Beach's community, with strong participation in several parades and volunteer service at music festivals all over town. Although much of the band's activities take place in the fall, they aren't exactly sleeping dogs in the spring off-season. Blue Thunder concert band practices all winter long, providing Christmas concerts for the community and participating in the Solo and Ensemble music festival in Dothan, Alabama. To culminate the concert season in the spring, the band finishes off with a district performance and possibly state if they score high enough at districts.

Clubs

Arnold High School currently offers a plethora of clubs to choose from. No matter what kind of kind one might be, there is a club for he/she to fit in and enjoy working with peers toward a common goal. The clubs Arnold currently offers are Beta Club, National Honor Society, Student Government Association, Spectrum Club, Game Club, Anchor Club, Key Club, Performing Talents and Arts Club, Environmental Club, Art Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Latin Club, Spanish Club, and Yearbook Club.

ITS and Theater

ITS (International Thespian Society) and the theater program at Arnold is one of the best in the region. ITS takes its performances all over the state, winning awards left and right. Our theater program has many sections like improvisation, musical theater, etc.