Pecatonica High School, affectionately known as ''"Pec"'', is located in the town of
Pecatonica, Illinois
Pecatonica is a village in Winnebago County, Illinois, United States. It is part of the Rockford, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,195 at the 2010 census, up from 1,997 in 2000.
History
The village was named after ...
. The campus is located 15 miles west of
Rockford and 15 miles east of
Freeport Freeport, a variant of free port, may refer to:
Places United States
*Freeport, California
*Freeport, Florida
*Freeport, Illinois
*Freeport, Indiana
*Freeport, Iowa
*Freeport, Kansas
*Freeport, Maine, a New England town
**Freeport (CDP), Maine, the ...
. It is located just one mile north of
U.S. Route 20, a major East-West highway connected to
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...
. The Pecatonica Community School District ranks as the sixth largest in
Winnebago County. Only the districts of
Rockford,
Rockton Hononegah,
Machesney Park Harlem,
Winnebago Winnebago can refer to:
* The exonym of the Ho-Chunk tribe of Native North Americans with reservations in Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin
** Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, a federally recognized tribe group in the state
** The Winnebago language of the ...
and
South Beloit are larger.
Facilities
Pecatonica Community Unit School District #321 presently operates three school buildings. The Grade School, which was originally the high school, was built in three stages. The first stage was constructed in 1938 and was used as a high school for many years. The two additions to that structure were built in 1962 and 1970 respectively. The Middle School, also a former high school building, was built in 1958 and also accommodated two additions to the original structure in 1967 and 1970. In 2003, the current high school building opened. This state of the art facility has an approximate square footage of 107,000. Along with the new school, a football field and eight lane track were constructed during the building project. The high school complex also includes a baseball diamond and play field space for physical education classes. The theme for the current school reflects a flexible multi-purpose facility that will allow for both school based and community based activities.
Within the facility, the building houses a modern library; a fine arts department, that includes graphic arts as well as chorus and band; an agricultural department; math, science, English departments, industrial technology, foreign language, and social sciences. The physical education department includes two gymnasiums, four locker rooms, a weight room, and training room. Additionally, Pecatonica High School offers two "off-campus" programs. Life-science classes are offered in a joint venture with the
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is the code department of the Illinois state government that operates the state parks and state recreation areas, enforces the fishing and game laws of Illinois, regulates Illinois coal mines, ...
at the
Torstenson Youth Conservation Education Center located two miles East of town along the
Pecatonica River. Students are also offered
blacksmithing classes in a turn-of-the-century facility located near the middle school.
Academics
Based on the
Illinois School Report Card
The Illinois School Report Card is a measurement of school performance administered by the Illinois State Board of Education. Each public school district in Illinois, including special charter districts, must submit to parents, taxpayers, the Gov ...
for the 2018-19 school year, Pecatonica had a graduation rate of 92% and an
Advanced Placement
Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...
participation rate of 26%. Additionally, in 2019, Pec ranked as the 6,170 best school in the United States, 198 in Illinois and 3rd in the
Rockford metro area based on ''
U.S. News & World Report''.
Athletics
The Indians compete in the
Northwest Upstate Illini Conference. They participate in several
IHSA sponsored athletics and activities, including; football, girls volleyball, boys & girls basketball, boys & girls golf, boys & girls track & field, baseball, softball, bass fishing and music. Due to their small enrollment, ''"Pec"'' coops with neighboring high schools for nine sports (
Byron High School for boys & girls swimming & diving and
Durand High School
Durand may refer to:
Places United States
* Durand Township, Winnebago County, Illinois
* Durand, Illinois, a village
** Durand High School (Illinois), a public high school
* Durand, Georgia, an unincorporated community
* Durand, Kansas, an ...
for boys football, boys wrestling, boys baseball, boys & girls cross country and boys & girls track & field.).
[IHSA Boys Golf Records](_blank)
/ref>[IHSA Boys Track & Field Records](_blank)
/ref>[IHSA Girls Track & Field Records](_blank)
/ref>
Teams
The following teams finished in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournaments:
/ref>
*Music Sweepstakes: 2nd place (1982–83)
Individual
The following athletes finished the season as state champion:
Notable alumni
Kevin Stites, Broadway Music Director and Conductor
References
External links
Village of Pecatonica
IHigh.com
Pecatonica Map
Pecatonica Webpage
Torstenson Youth Conservation Education Center
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Public high schools in Illinois
Schools in Winnebago County, Illinois