Rufus King International High School, or Rufus King, is a public

magnet high school In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities (usually school boards) as school ...

located on the north side of

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

, part of the

Milwaukee Public Schools Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) is the largest school district in Wisconsin. As of the 2015–16 school year, MPS served 75,568 students in 154 schools and had 9,636 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff positions. The Milwaukee Public Schools system i ...

district. The school is ranked the 1,658th best public high school in the country by '' U.S. News & World Report'', making it the 42nd best performing public high school in the state of Wisconsin. The school offers the

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...

curriculum. The school was formerly named Rufus King International Baccalaureate High School. After the addition of a feeder middle years program in the 2010–2011 school year, the high school was renamed Rufus King International School – High School Campus.
Fifty-five percent of the students are of

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

descent (compared to the state average of 9.4%), fifteen percent of students are

Caucasian Caucasian may refer to: Anthropology *Anything from the Caucasus region ** ** ** ''Caucasian Exarchate'' (1917–1920), an ecclesiastical exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Caucasus region * * * Languages * Northwest Caucasian l ...

, fifteen percent of students are

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

, and eleven percent are

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

n. Seventy five percent of students are eligible for free school lunch.

Academics

Rufus King's

college preparatory A college-preparatory school (usually shortened to preparatory school or prep school) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to public, private independent or parochial schools primarily designed to prepare students for higher education ...

curriculum In education, a curriculum (; : curricula or curriculums) is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view ...

is anchored by the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP), which was established at the school in 1979, the first such school in the state of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

and one of the first in North America.
The emphasis in the curriculum is on writing, speaking, critical thinking and independent application of knowledge. Full Diploma students are also required to write a 3,000-4,000 word original essay and volunteer at least 150 hours of service. All Rufus King students participate in pre-diploma and IB courses and more than half of the student population take at least one IB test with a success rate of 85.9% passing. 95% of graduates

matriculate Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...

to higher education.
All students at Rufus King are required to complete four years of English, three years of Mathematics, Natural Science and Social Science, as well as two years of the same World Language. The languages offered at King are Spanish language, Spanish,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, and French. Among the school's academic electives are

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...

, and

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

Academic achievements

Rufus King is considered the top high school in the state of

based on '' U.S. News & World Report'' rankings that demonstrated high participation rates on International Baccalaureate exams and college readiness index ratings. In 2012, the school was ranked the 130th best high school in the nation by the magazine, putting it in the top one percent of public high schools in the country. Rufus King received the "Gold" ranking from the magazine. The school was ranked the top public high school in Wisconsin by ''

Newsweek Magazine ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

'' in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. In 2010, Rufus King was ranked the 324th top high school in the country in ''Newsweek'''s rating, though the school has not made the list since ''Newsweek'' modified its ranking method, causing some local controversy. The school has twice been designated a

National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

(1982–1983, 1994–1996),
and has been named a ''New Wisconsin Promise School of Excellence'' for the fifth year in a row, one of 15 schools in the State of Wisconsin achieving the title. On May 8, 2002, the school was visited by President George W. Bush, who delivered an educational policy address in which he recognized Rufus King as one of the top high schools in the country. In 2003–2004, King was selected as one of ten schools nationwide to participate in an ACT study, ''"On Course for Success",'' on how schools prepare students for college coursework. According to ACT, Rufus King was selected because of its diverse student body and its students' strong ACT scores in math and science. In November 2009, Eva Lam, a Rufus King and Harvard University graduate, received a

Rhodes Scholarship The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

, becoming the first within the school district. She credits her award to the education she received through Milwaukee Public Schools. On April 4, 2011, Rev.

Jesse Jackson Jesse Louis Jackson (né Burns; born October 8, 1941) is an American political activist, Baptist minister, and politician. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as a shadow U.S. senator ...

Sr. visited the school to encourage juniors and seniors to participate in the April 5th municipal and statewide elections. He also confronted stereotypes about urban youth and encouraged student empowerment. On March 30, 2012, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and County Executive

Chris Abele Christopher Seton Abele (born January 28, 1967) is an American businessman and Democratic Party politician. He served as the 6th Milwaukee County Executive from 2011 to 2020. Abele is the son of American businessman John Abele, the co-founder ...

declared March 30 "Rufus King Day" both on the city and county level. The proclamation was given because of great success by the school's academic and sports programs. On May 15, 2012, the school was ranked the 130th best public high school in the nation by ''U.S. News & World Report'', making it the highest ranked school in the State. On May 25, 2012,

announced that two Rufus King High School students, Zhenrui Liao and Ahmee Marshall-Christensen, scored perfect scores on their ACT tests. On May 22, 2013, it was announced that Rufus King was selected as the winner of the ACT national College and Career Transition Award, which honors a high school that displays "exemplary college and career readiness efforts." Rufus King was the only school in the nation to receive the award. The school received the award specifically in recognition of a nonprofit ACT preparation course started by student Zhenrui Liao. It was nominated for the award by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and

Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction The Superintendent of Public Instruction, sometimes referred to as the State Superintendent of Schools, is a constitutional officer within the executive branch of the Wisconsin state government, and acts as the executive head of the Department of ...

Tony Evers Anthony Steven Evers (born November 5, 1951) is an American educator and politician serving as the 46th governor of Wisconsin since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as Wisconsin's Superintendent of Public Instruction from 200 ...

. On May 8, 2014, the ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' ranked Rufus King as one of the most challenging high schools in the country, making it in the top 50 schools in the Midwest and the third-highest in the state.

Middle school

The middle school, which began its first school year in 2010, is part of the 6–12 program of Rufus King High School. The program incorporates the

International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) is an educational programme for students between the ages of 11 to 16 around the world as part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) continuum. Middle Year Programme is intended to pr ...

(MYP).

Extracurricular activities

Rufus King High School has over 55

extracurricular activities An extracurricular activity (ECA) or extra academic activity (EAA) or cultural activities is an activity, performed by students, that falls outside the realm of the normal curriculum of school, college or university education. Such activities a ...

for students to participate in, including several activities not available in other schools in the region.
Honorary Societies: King has a chapter of the

National Honor Society The National Honor Society (NHS) is a nationwide organization for high school students in the United States and outlying territories, which consists of many chapters in high schools. Selection is based on four criteria: scholarship (academic achi ...

, recognizing students for strong values of scholarship, leadership, service, and character. There are also other academic honorary programs including the

Spanish Honor Society Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

Science National Honor Society Science National Honor Society is an academic nationwide honor society focused on science for high school students in the United States. The society was established in 2000 in Texas and has expanded to over 1733 schools in all 50 states. The Scien ...

, and the

National English Honor Society National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

. All of these honor societies participate in community service projects around the city. Forensics and Debate: Rufus King has

policy debate Policy debate is an American form of debate competition in which teams of two usually advocate for and against a resolution that typically calls for policy change by the United States federal government. It is also referred to as cross-examinat ...

and a

forensics Forensic science, also known as criminalistics, is the application of science to criminal and civil laws, mainly—on the criminal side—during criminal investigation, as governed by the legal standards of admissible evidence and crimina ...

team. The school participates in the national districts of the

National Forensics League The National Speech and Debate Association is an American student debating society. It was established in 1925 as the National Forensic League; the name was changed in 2014. It is one of four major national organizations that direct high school ...

(NFL), regional Wisconsin Forensic Coaches Association, and Wisconsin Debate Coaches Association, as well as the citywide Milwaukee Debate League. Nearly every year, King debaters qualify for both NFL and NCFL national tournaments, while placing high at state, regional, and local tournaments. Students from the school have won two NFL national championships in

Student Congress Congressional Debate (also known as Student Congress, Legislative Debate) is a competitive interscholastic high school debate event in the United States. The National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA), National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL) ...

(as well as the Presiding Officer Award), the NFL national championship in

Policy Debate Policy debate is an American form of debate competition in which teams of two usually advocate for and against a resolution that typically calls for policy change by the United States federal government. It is also referred to as cross-examinat ...

, the NFL national championship in

Extemporaneous Commentary Extemporaneous commentary (or extemp com for short) is a branch of normal extemporaneous speaking, an area of competition in high school forensics. Students participating in extemporaneous commentary are given 20 minutes to prepare a five-minute spe ...

, the

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

National Congress championship, the NFL School of Excellence in Debate award, and had two consecutive sweeps of the

State Congress. In both 2012 and 2013, the team reached semi-finals at the State Debate Tournament, the latter year taking third and fifth place Best Speakers. In 2013, Rufus King became the first team in the state to sweep all of the Southern Qualifier NFL and NCFL spots, which had previously been split with other schools. Chess: The chess team participates in the Milwaukee Metro Chess League and participates city and state chess meets. In 2001, the team competed at the United States Chess Nationals in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. Mathematics: The "Mathletes" competition team has won at local, state and national levels.
Rufus King also has an Accounting Club that provides a link between students and business organizations in the Milwaukee area. Science: Rufus King has entered a 15-member team in the Wisconsin Science Olympiad since its beginning in 1985. Rufus King won "valued participant" at the Wisconsin Science Olympiad in 1994, advancing to the regional competition, where it placed 13th in nation. The National Science Bowl team finished fourth in the nation in 1994. Rufus King regularly enters a variety of local and national science and engineering competitions. The Chemistry Olympiad Team competes annually and has sent five students to the State Finals: Zhenrui Liao, Paul Meyers, Madison Cox, Tony Stano and Andre Quarino. Music: The school has a marching band, concert band, orchestra, jazz ensemble, chorus, and nine-time (2005–2013) city champion drumline. The drumline also competes at several national tournaments. Art: King students have received honorable mentions in the Wisconsin Regional Scholastic Art Awards Competition, the Photographic Society of America, Photographic Society of America Awards Competition and the United States Congressional Art Competition. Theater: Rufus King's theater program is a partner in education initiatives with several professional companies, including Milwaukee Shakespeare, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, NextAct Theatre, Milwaukee Rep and Spiral Theater. They hold several annual school-wide plays. Academic Competitions: The school participates in an annual

Model UN Model United Nations, also known as Model UN or MUN, is an educational simulation in which students can learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations. At a MUN conference, students work as the representative of a count ...

regional competition, a national Quiz Bowl, the

United States Academic Decathlon The Academic Decathlon (also called AcDec, AcaDeca or AcaDec) is an annual high school academic competition organized by the non-profit United States Academic Decathlon (USAD). The competition consists of seven objective multiple choice tests, tw ...

and LifeSmarts. Robotics: Rufus King has a robotics program, which includes participation in the

FIRST Robotics Competition FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an international high school robotics competition. Each year, teams of high school students, coaches, and mentors work during a six-week period to build robots capable of competing in that year's game that weig ...

. The team won the Midwest Regional Championship 2009 and 2011. The team has traveled to the

FIRST Championship The FIRST Championship is a four-day robotics championship held annually in April at which FIRST student robotics teams compete. For several years, the event was held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, but moved to the Edward Jones Dome in ...

in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2016, and 2017. Ethnic and Advocacy Organizations: Rufus King has a variety of ethnic student groups including Asian Club, Black Student Union, French Club, Interfaith, Gay-Straight Alliance, and Latinos Unidos. Every year, an event called "Ethnic Fest" is organized in which many of the ethnic and non-ethnic student groups as well as some honor societies participate in a celebration of culture. Various programs are also put on by individual student groups throughout the year. Rufus King also has a hybrid chapter of both

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

and

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...

, which advocates for human rights and civil liberties issues. In 2011, the group organized a student walkout in opposition to proposed education budget cuts by Governor Scott Walker. In February 2022, King students organized a walkout in response to a shooting that injured five people, four students outside King after a basketball game in order to demand administrative action to bring an end to gun violence.

Athletics

All of Rufus King High School's athletic teams participate in the

Milwaukee City Conference The Milwaukee City Conference (also known as "City Conference") is a high school athletic conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. All full-time member institutions are located in the city of Milwaukee and are members of the Milwaukee Public Schools sys ...

and WIAA Division I. The school has won five Wisconsin state boys'

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

championships. The boys' basketball team achieved a #17 national ranking by

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

in 2003 and #22 in 2004. The basketball team has received a 69.97 national power ranking by Sports Power. In 2012, both the girls basketball and boys basketball teams went to the state Division 1 basketball finals, though both were unsuccessful. Rufus King's traditional rival is

Riverside University High School Riverside University High School is a public high school located on the East Side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a college preparatory curriculum. It is a part of the Milwaukee Public Schools system. History Pre-1912 Starting in the early 185 ...

. It is also part of a three-way rivalry with Washington High School and Vincent High School in boys' basketball. These schools have accounted for 14 of the last 23 Division 1 boys' basketball championships in Wisconsin. RKIHS won a state championship in boys' cross country in 1942.

Notable alumni

Jeannette Bell Jeannette Lois Bell (; born September 2, 1941) is an American Democratic politician and social worker from Wisconsin. Early life and education Bell was born on September 2, 1941, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her parents are Harold Arthur Jeske an ...

- politician, Mayor of

West Allis West Allis is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. A suburb of Milwaukee, it is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The population was 60,325 at the 2020 census. History The name West Allis derives from Edward P. Allis, ...

, Wisconsin state representative * David Fowlkes Jr. - inventor of

Spinner Technology *Spinner (aeronautics), the aerodynamic cone at the hub of an aircraft propeller * Spinner (cell culture), laboratory equipment for cultivating plant or mammalian cells * Spinner (computing), a graphical widget in a GUI * Spinner (MIT Med ...

Gordon Gano Gordon James Gano (born June 7, 1963) is an American musician widely known as the singer, guitarist and songwriter of American folk punk band Violent Femmes. Early life Gano was born in New York City to actor parents Norman and Faye Gano, and gr ...

- musician,

Violent Femmes Violent Femmes are an American folk punk band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The band consists of founding members Gordon Gano (guitar, lead vocals) and Brian Ritchie (bass, backing vocals), joined by multi-instrumentalist Blaise Garza (joined 2004 ...

* Warren Giese - politician, South Carolina state legislator and college football coach *

Lance Kendricks Lance Ronnie Kendricks (born January 30, 1988) is a former American football tight end. He played college football at Wisconsin, where he was recognized as a consensus All-American. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the second round of t ...

- former NFL tight end * Jerris Leonard - politician, Wisconsin legislator, first head of

Law Enforcement Assistance Administration The Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) was a U.S. federal agency within the United States Department of Justice. It administered federal funding to state and local law enforcement agencies and funded educational programs, research, s ...

* James R. Lewis - evangelist, salesman,

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

legislator *

Peter Mulvey Peter Mulvey (born September 6, 1969) is an American folk singer-songwriter based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Since the early 1990s, he has developed a strong national following in the indie folk/rock scene through his relentless touring and critic ...

- musician, folk singer/songwriter *

LaKeshia Myers LaKeshia N. Myers (born May 21, 1984) is an American educator and politician. She is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the northwest corner of the city of Milwaukee. She was elected to her first term in the Assembly in Nove ...

, Wisconsin state Representative * Ronald Myers -

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

minister * Paul Noth - Author and cartoonist * Jordan Poole -

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

basketball player for the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

Daniel Riemer Daniel G. Riemer (born December 10, 1986) is an American lawyer and Democratic politician. He is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing central Milwaukee County since 2013. Early life and education Daniel Riemer was born in M ...

- politician, Wisconsin state representative *

Speech Speech is a human vocal communication using language. Each language uses Phonetics, phonetic combinations of vowel and consonant sounds that form the sound of its words (that is, all English words sound different from all French words, even if ...

- musician,

Arrested Development The term "arrested development" has had multiple meanings for over 200 years. In the field of medicine, the term "arrested development" was first used, ''circa'' 1835–1836, to mean a stoppage of physical development; the term continues to be use ...

Lena Taylor Lena C. Taylor (born July 25, 1966) is an American politician and attorney serving as a member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 4th district. She previously served in the Wisconsin Assembly, representing the 18th district from 2003 to 2005. Tay ...

- politician, Wisconsin state senator * Walter L. Ward, Jr. - politician, Wisconsin state representative * Michael Weishan - landscape designer, former host of '' The Victory Garden'' * Mike Wilks -

basketball player *

Leon Young Leon D. Young (born July 4, 1967) is a police officer and former Democratic member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the 16th Assembly District from 1992 until 2018. Gaining office In 1992, his aunt, incumbent Marcia P. Coggs ( ...

- politician, Wisconsin state representative * Josh Zepnick - politician, Wisconsin state representative *

Jerry Ziesmer Jerry Ziesmer (May 31, 1939 – August 1, 2021) was an American assistant director, production manager and occasional actor. He is best known for his role as Jerry in the 1979 film ''Apocalypse Now'' in which he delivers the infamous line "te ...

- film actor and director

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rufus King High International School High schools in Milwaukee International Baccalaureate schools in Wisconsin Educational institutions established in 1934 Public high schools in Wisconsin Magnet schools in Wisconsin Works Progress Administration in Wisconsin 1934 establishments in Wisconsin