About Bloomington High School

Mission Statement

The Mission of Bloomington High School is to prepare students for the challenges of a demanding global society. This responsibility is shared by faculty, staff, parents/guardians, and most importantly -- students. We believe in providing educational equity for our dynamic and diverse population. As responsible citizens, our students will face challenges that require increasingly complex problem-solving skills and the ability to adapt and apply knowledge. Accordingly, our responsibility is to assist all students in mastering the knowledge and skills for successful independent and lifelong learning. Further, we help students acquire effective communication skills needed for individual interaction and collaboration. Finally, we accept the responsibility to inspire our students to achieve their full potential.

School Profile

Bloomington High School serves the public high school population in School District #87, located within the city of Bloomington. The Bloomington-Normal area has approximately 100,000 residents. This central Illinois community continues to experience tremendous growth. The major employers including State Farm Insurance, Illinois State University, and Mitsubishi Motor Company provide a stable, yet diverse economy for the residents. Quality higher educational opportunities are provided by Illinois State University, Illinois Wesleyan University, Heartland Community College, and Lincoln College at Normal.

Bloomington High School has a total enrollment of 1533 students with an average class size of 19.4 students. All high school students in the district are assigned to BHS. As a result, our statistics reflect all students, ranging from at-risk and alternative programs through advanced placement offerings. The school has engaged in a systematic improvement program the past six years including the initiation of an advanced placement program and increased standards in all of our courses. As a result, average test scores on state achievement tests show continuous improvement, particularly in the areas of writing and mathematics. This is mirrored by continued improvement in the school's graduation rate. Student honors and recognitions have also increased, with BHS seniors selected as the Bloomington-Normal Students of the Year in 1998, 1999, and 2002.

Statistics:

2006 Grade 11 PSAE Reading, Mathematics and Science (% meeting & exceeding standards)

	Reading	Mathematics	Science
School	62.8	54.5	57.6
State	48.4	53.8	50.8

Achievement:
Bloomington High School has 8 National Merit Commended Students for the 2004-2005 school year. A record number 112 students took 243 AP exams in May 2004. Over 70% of the exams received a score of 3 or higher. 15% of the 2004 graduating class took at least one AP course while at BHS. Nine students qualified as AP Scholars with Distinction, four as AP Scholar with Honors, and 21 as AP Scholars. 37 students from the class of 2004 were designated Illinois State Scholars.

Advanced Placement and Honors Classes:
These courses are identified as 'AP' or 'HON' on student transcripts. Advanced Placement courses are offered in English, French, Spanish, Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Physics, American History, American Government, Psychology, Music Theory, Studio Art, Statistics and Probability, and Computer Science. In addition to AP classes, members of the class of 2007 have had access to a semester honors course in Sophomore English, and full year honors classes in Freshman and Junior English, College Literature, Geometry, Algebra II-Trig, Pre-Calculus, CADD, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.

Curriculum:
The curriculum for Bloomington High school is defined in our Course Description Guide and expanded in our Essential Learner Outcomes, a series of documents containing the outcomes for all subjects. Students are evaluated on the basis of these outcomes on the Prairie State Achievement Exam (PSAE), ACT (including EXPLORE for all Freshmen, PLAN for all Sophomores, and then ACT for all Juniors as part of the PSAE), locally developed tests, and locally developed performance assessments developed in accordance with the NCA and Illinois Accreditation process. Strong emphasis is placed on writing and communication skills, problem-solving, math, and applications of learning. To serve the full range of our student body, we offer a full range of academic, vocational, fine arts, and special education courses. Advanced Placement and Honors programs offer targeted curricula and learning strategies which promote creativity, research, and analysis skills.

Last Updated on September 10, 2007

Bloomington High School, Bloomington, Illinois 61701