Penn High School was opened on September 1, 1958, following a year of construction and a cost of $1 million. The first graduating class, the class of 1960, had roughly 200 seniors. Prior to the construction of Penn, students in the Penn and Harris Townships went to Mishawaka High School or Jimtown High School. The 1962 merger of the Penn and Harris Township expanded the school system. The following year, Madison Township was also incorporated, creating today's Penn-Harris-Madison school district. Penn High School continued to expand in the following years. By 1965, the school district was attended by more than 1,600 students. In the late 1980s, the school underwent renovations to enlarge the school.
Academics
Penn High School students are divided into several academies. Freshmen are sorted into 6 freshman academies known as houses. Each house consists of roughly 160 students taught by the same core teachers. Prior to junior year, students choose to be a part of one of four academies: Fine Arts, STEM, Management and Business, and Health and Human Services. Penn High School offers up to 23 Advanced Placement classes along with several Advanced College Project classes through a partnership with Indiana colleges. GPA is calculated on a 4.0 scale with college courses assigned a weighted grade that is on a 5.0 scale. Based on AP exam participation and passing rate, Penn students have a College Readiness Index of 30.0/100.0. For the class of 2015, Penn achieved a graduation rate of over 97%. 90% of students passed the state's English graduation exam and 90% passed Indiana's math graduation exam. 66% of Penn students scored a three or higher on an Advanced Placement exam. Penn High School students averaged an SAT score of 1564 in 2010, compared to the Indiana state average of 1496. Penn High School was recognized as a 4-Star School by the Indiana Department of Education for the 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 school years. To achieve this rating the school had to receive an "A" on the state's A-F accountability system, have an excellent ISTEP+ pass rate, carry on overall high graduation rate, and show that they were successful in closing achievement gaps.
Demographics
The demographic breakdown of the 3,376 students enrolled for the 2014-2015 school year was:
Male - 50.2%
Female - 49.8%
Native American/Alaskan - 0.6%
Asian/Pacific islander - 5.1%
Black - 4.2%
Hispanic - 3.7%
White - 82.4%
Multiracial - 3.7%
In addition, 17.3% of the students were eligible for free or reduced price lunch.
Penn High School participates in the Indiana Academic Super Bowl, run by the Indiana Association of School Principals. The statewide competition consists of rounds of 25 multiple choice questions that students answer as a team. Teams from Penn have had several victories at the Super Bowl. They won in English in 2007, science in 2003 and 2010, and social studies in 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2008–2014. As of 2016, Penn has established a Technology Student Association Chapter. Penn's TSA Chapter competes in both the National and Indiana State Leadership Conferences and has had numerous victories at the Indiana TSA State Leadership Conference.
Notable alumni
Michael Alig - Prominent member of the Club Kids, charged with manslaughter in 1996.
