Auburndale High School is a four-year
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
located in
Auburndale, Florida
Auburndale is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 13,507 at the 2010 census. According to the U.S. Census estimates of 2019, the city had a population of 16,650. It is part of the Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida Metropo ...
, United States, and a part of
Polk County Public Schools
Polk County Public Schools is a school district headquartered in Bartow, Florida, United States. The district serves Polk County.
History Civil rights era
Before 1965, Polk County maintained two separate school systems, one for white students ...
. The school serves about 1,600 students from ninth through twelfth grades. In 2012, construction was completed on a new media center, added parking, centrally-located cafeteria, and new academic buildings.
History
Auburndale’s first official school opened in 1890 in a building on the corner of Main Street and Bridgers Avenue. Education for grades one through eight was offered, and less than 40 students were enrolled in the school. By 1895 the city had the southernmost library and free reading room in the United States, adding culture to the city.
The first building officially constructed as a classroom was built in 1915 on the site that is now
Stambaugh Middle School. A second building, built in 1925, included the addition of an auditorium that was used by the city for cultural events until 1979. All Auburndale students in grades one through twelve attended this school until 1947 when Auburndale Central Elementary opened and took the youngest students. In 1954, the school became a junior high school as students in grades nine through twelve moved to the present-day site of Auburndale High School. In 1972, Auburndale Junior High moved and opened just north of the high school and remained until 1984 when Stambaugh Middle School opened. The Auburndale Junior High (North Campus) building was added to the high school campus in the start of the 1989-1990 school year; AHS has been a 9-12 center since.
By the 2012-2013 school year, construction was completed that replaced nearly all of the original campus buildings.
Academics and students
The minority rate at one point was 37%. The school operates on a 7 period a day bell schedule, allowing for 48 minute classes with 8 minutes of passing time. Graduations are held on the football field on campus yearly. At one point, the free or reduced lunch rate was 49%.
Auburndale High School offers several
Advanced Placement courses, such as Human Geography, World History, American History, European History, Psychology, Composition, Literature, Capstone Seminar, Capstone Research, Calculus AB, Statistics, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Computer Science Principles, Photography, and 3D Art and Design.
Auburndale has partnered with nearby
Polk State College
Polk State College, formerly Polk Community College, is a public college in Winter Haven, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System.
The college changed its name from Polk Community College in 2009 to reflect its first Bachelor's degre ...
and
Southeastern University
Southeastern University is a private Christian university in Lakeland, Florida. It was established in 1935 in New Brockton, Alabama, as Southeastern Bible Institute, relocated to Lakeland in 1946, and became a liberal arts college in 1970. It i ...
to offer
Dual enrollment In the United States, dual enrollment (DE), also called concurrent enrollment, programs allow students to be enrolled in two separate, academically related institutions. Generally, it refers to high school students taking college or university cours ...
courses; presently the school offers College Success, Comp 1, Financial Accounting and Humanities, among others.
Notable alumni
*
Derwin James- professional football player (attended but did not graduate)
*
Bobby Braddock
Robert Valentine Braddock (born August 5, 1940) is an American country songwriter and record producer. A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Braddock has contributed numerous hit songs during mor ...
- songwriter/producer
*
Chauncey Davis
Chauncey Antoine Davis (born January 27, 1983 in Bartow, Florida) is a former American football defensive end. He was originally drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida St ...
- professional football player
*
Les Dudek
Les Dudek (born August 2, 1952, at Naval Air Station, Quonset Point, Rhode Island, United States) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter.
In addition to his solo material, Dudek has played guitar with Steve Miller Band, The Dudek-Fin ...
- guitarist with the
Allman Brothers Band Allman may refer to:
Music
*The Allman Brothers Band, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame southern rock band, formed by Duane and Gregg Allman
*The Allman Joys, an early band formed by Duane and Gregg Allman
*The Gregg Allman Band
People
*Allman (surnam ...
*
Van Green - NFL player
*
Manisha Singh, attorney and
*
Hesham Ismail
Hesham Ismail (born June 11, 1969) is a former American football offensive lineman who played one season with the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League (AFL). He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the eighth round of the 1992 NFL D ...
- professional football player
*
Glenn Martinez
Glenn Martínez (born November 30, 1981, in Auburndale, Florida) is a former American football wide receiver. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at Saginaw Valley State Universi ...
- professional football player
*
Tracy McGrady
Tracy Lamar McGrady Jr. (born May 24, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player, best known for his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). McGrady is a seven-time NBA All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, two- ...
- professional basketball player (1997) (attended but did not graduate)
*
Kyle Ryan - professional baseball player
(2010)
References
External links
Auburndale High School HomepagePolk County School District
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High schools in Polk County, Florida
School buildings completed in 1953
Public high schools in Florida
Auburndale, Florida
1915 establishments in Florida
Educational institutions established in 1915