Executive Director Jean Hitchcock Enrollment 348 (2015-2016) Founded 2002 Faculty 38 | Grades 9–12 Phone +1 812-421-1820 Number of students 348 (2015–2016) | |
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Established 2002 (as a full day school), 1992 (as a half day program) Motto Globally focused. Nationally recognized. Locally connected. District Signature School Inc, Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation Similar Reitz Memorial High Sch, FJ Reitz High School, Mater Dei High School, Central High School, Harrison High School | ||
Signature school
Signature School is a charter high school located in downtown Evansville, Indiana, on the Main Street walkway. The school opened in 2002 as Indiana's first public charter high school. It has been consistently ranked by a number of publications as one of the top high schools in the United States.
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History
Signature School began in 1992 as a half-day program with 213 students. It offered both morning and afternoon classes allowing motivated high school students to enroll in higher-level courses. In particular, the Accelerated, Compacted, Enriched Program (ACE) was developed for freshmen and sophomores looking for more advanced English, foreign language, math, and science offerings.
By 2001, Signature School had 278 part-time students. After the passage of the Indiana Charter School Law, the staff applied for a full-day program, adopted more courses into its curriculum, and changed the school to a charter school. In December 2001, Signature School submitted a charter-seeking conversion status to the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC), and, on February 25, 2002, the EVSC approved the charter. At the time it, was Indiana's first public charter high school.
The first graduation ceremony for Signature School students was held in May 2003 in the Victory Theatre. There were 42 students in the first graduating class.
Profile
Signature School is part of the International Baccalaureate Programme. The school also offers Advanced Placement classes for those who choose to not to pursue a full IB diploma. Today, many of the classes offer a combination of both AP and IB credits. Foreign languages offered at the school include French, German, and Spanish.
The student-to-teacher ratio is 20 to 1. Students and parents can access grades and information from a server called PowerSchool.
Rankings
In 2014, the Washington Post named Signature the eighth "most challenging high school in the U.S.", while U.S. News and World Report ranked it as the 21st best public high school in America, the sixth best charter, and number one school in the Midwest in 2013. The Daily Beast named Signature as the 5th best high school in America in its "Top High Schools 2014" list. In addition, Signature School has been declared a Blue Ribbon School.
In 2010 and 2011 Newsweek ranked the school as the seventh best in the United States. In 2011 the Washington Post ranked it as the eighth best in the country. Out of about 22,000 high schools nationwide, US News and World Report ranked the school the 53rd best in 2011.
Previous Newsweek rankings have been 54th (2006), 99th (2008), 27th (2009), 7th (2010), and 7th (2011). Other Washington Post rankings include 126th (2007), 97th (2008), 23rd (2009), 7th (2010), and 8th (2011).
Campus
Signature School is located in several buildings in downtown Evansville, Indiana, on the Main Street walkway. These include the fourth floor of the Victory theater; the Robert L. Koch II Science Building, which is attached to The Gerling Law Firm offices, the YMCA for PE classes, and the Browning Rooms at Central Library. The school's main building is attached to the Victory Theatre. The building now known as Signature School was originally a hotel, later gutted and remodeled to act as a school.
Students who enroll in the school are required to complete 100 hours of local community service yearly and 25 school logged hours