Hanover High School (New Hampshire)

Hanover High was recognized in 2009 by BusinessWeek in their "America's Best High Schools" annual article as having the "Best Overall Academic Performance" in New Hampshire, with a GreatSchools rating of 10/10.[2]

The school is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, and over 96% of students are accepted to or are planning to attend post secondary education after graduating.[3]

Of the 85 professional staff at Hanover High School, 71% hold at least a master's degree, while 18% hold a master's degree + 60 credits or a doctorate.[4]

The academic program is divided into the traditional five departments: English, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Foreign Language. Each department offers a selection of courses; however, all freshmen must take a standard set of courses. As students advance, additional opportunities become available. The school's curriculum and policies emphasize individual student freedoms. For example, seniors often elect to design and complete an independent study project that academically explores a personal interest. With Dartmouth College a short walk from the school, some students attend courses at the college when they have exhausted the high school's offerings.

The academic atmosphere is generally student-centric, with off-campus privileges widely available and with a council of students, faculty, and community members (founded in 1974) whose governing power extends in many areas beyond that of even the school principal.

Hanover's physical education program, for 9th graders, has an extensive outdoor ropes course, which is one of the largest in the world with over 35 high ropes course elements, as well as a comprehensive indoor ropes course and climbing wall. Begun in 1988 by physical education teacher Glyn Reinders, the outdoor education program has become the core of Hanover's physical education curriculum and is considered one of the premier high school programs in the country.

The girls' cross country team was fourth in the nation during the 2007 season. The boys' varsity soccer team has won the state championship for the last six years, as well as the state sportsmanship award for the past four years. The boys' hockey and lacrosse teams are both the smallest schools in Division I, yet Hanover almost always makes it to the state finals in at least one of the sports, if not both. The 2009 fall campaign was especially successful, with field hockey, boys' cross country, girls' cross country and boys' soccer all being crowned state champions.

The school boasts a large number of music ensembles (both official and student-run), publications, community service organizations, an official drama group "Footlighters" that puts on two shows and a musical each year, a student-organized drama group "SOS; Students On Stage" that puts on one show a year, and a quiz bowl team that has in recent years won both New Hampshire and Vermont state championships.

Hanover High School is one of the few public schools in New Hampshire to have a crew team. It is the largest sport at Hanover, with one in every six students participating. They have been recognized as one of the top public school rowing programs consecutively in New Hampshire.

HHS is a democratic school revolving around the Hanover High Council.[5] The council has the authority to act on all matters at Hanover High School not controlled by school board policy, state policy, administrative regulations established by the Superintendent of the Schools, and rules and regulations published in the Student Handbook of Hanover High School. Council elections are held each spring.

Hanover has a comprehensive athletics program, with players competing at both the varsity and junior varsity levels. Sports offered include baseball, basketball, cross country running, cross-country skiing, crew, field hockey, football, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, rugby, ski jumping, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, Ultimate, and volleyball.

Notable girls' teams include the perennial power house cross country team, which won the Class I state championship from 2004 through 2009, and placed fourth at the Nike Team Nationals high school championships. The girls' soccer team has also won NH Division II championships in 2014, 2015 and 2018. The girls' varsity tennis team appeared in five consecutive state championship finals from 2013 through 2017.

The girls varsity hockey team is a strong force at Hanover, winning 11/12 state titles for NHIAA girls hockey.

Notable boys' teams include the boys' cross country running team, that won back-to-back state championships in 2008 and 2009. The boys' soccer team is one of the most successful teams at Hanover, having won the Class I state championships every year from 2005–2010, and the Division I title in 2013 and 2019. They have won a state-record total of 18 overall. The boys' golf team has been consistently one of the top programs in the state, winning over 30 state championships since the early 1980s. In 1989 the golf team finished an undefeated 48-0 season under coach Glyn Reinders and were named by the Boston Globe "New England Team of the Year".

In recent years swimming has become one of the favored sports, along with crew. One out of every six Hanover High students row in the spring each year.

Varsity sports fielded include:

Club sports include rugby union, fencing, ultimate, and fall crew.[16]

• Official website