Peabody Veterans Memorial High School


Peabody Veterans Memorial High School, also known as Peabody High School, is a comprehensive public high school in Peabody, Massachusetts, United States. It is the only comprehensive public high school in the Peabody School District, spanning grades 9–12 in the U.S. education system. It is particularly known for its performing arts program including its instrumental and choral ensembles and drama club.

Academics

The school's academic departments include AFJROTC, Business, Career and Technical Education, English, World Languages/ELL, Wellness, Mathematics, Performing Arts, Science, Social Studies, Special Education, and Visual Arts.
The Air ForceJunior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program is a military-based set of courses for students interested in pursuing a military career.
The Career and Technical Education Program has five approved career pathway programs: Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Early Childhood Education, Electronics and Engineering, and Medical Assisting.
The Peabody Community School Program is a separate special education day school operated by PVMHS that assists students with emotional, behavioral, and learning disabilities. The school is a therapeutic environment with extensive differentiation, small classes, and focused behavioral programs.

Student Health Center

In 2015, North Shore Community Health opened up a school-based health center at PVMHS. The health center helps students with behavioral and medical health.
Students are able to seek medical attention in a calm and comforting atmosphere.

Peabody Youth Advisory Council

The council advocates for easier access to health services. The group makes an annual trip to the Massachusetts State House in Boston, to speak with state politicians to increase the number of school health centers in the state and country. Students in the Youth Advisory Council represent Peabody at the School-based Health Conference, where students work with peers from across the country to promote healthier lifestyles and choices while also increasing awareness for many public health issues.

Extracurricular activities

Theater program

The theater program, Stage One, was founded in 1970 by Father Frank Toste, a Catholic priest and member of the Congregation of Holy Cross. Stage One has placed in the top three at the Massachusetts High School Theater Festival, run annually by the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild five times: Equus in 1983, La Bête in 1997, Alchemy of Desire / Dead Man's Blues in 2012, Eurydice in 2015, and The Long Christmas Ride Home in 2016. The company puts on three shows a year: a fall show, a Festival home show which competes at the High School Theater Festival, and a spring musical.

Music programs

Chorale and mixed chorus participate in the Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association Festival. Chorale also conducts four singing talent shows per year.
PVMH also has an a cappella group, Full House.

Demographics

The reported racial makeup is 76.5% White, 15.9% Hispanic, 3.4% African American, 2.2% Asian/American Indian, 2.0% multiracial, and 0% Native Hawaiian, Native American, and Pacific Islander.
For assessment of selected populations, the reported statistics are 43.9% high needs, 28.7% economically disadvantaged, 19.7% students with disabilities, 7.0% students with their first language being non-English, and 3.8% English language learner.

Ratings

The Massachusetts Department of Education School and District Accountability program to assess overall performance rated the school as "among lowest performing 20% of schools" in 2017.

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of public high school in Peabody prior to the establishment of the current PVMHS in 1970 include the National Football League players Tom Alberghini and Jerry DeLucca.