Baton Rouge Magnet High School
Baton Rouge Magnet High School is a public magnet school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States, founded in 1880. It is part of the East Baton Rouge Parish School System with a student body of approximately 1500 students. The current building was built in 1926, and, as Baton Rouge High School, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The campus underwent a two-year renovation and expansion starting in 2010, resulting in the addition of two new wings to the main building. This renovation was completed and the school reopened in fall 2012. Baton Rouge High is also one of the highest-ranked schools in the state, and consistently wins state-level academic competitions. The school requires students to pass enrollment standards and exceed graduation standards. As a result, nearly all graduating students attend college.
History
In 1903, T. H. Harris was named principal of Baton Rouge High School. Five years later, he became the state education superintendent and held that post until 1940.The present campus was put into use in 1925 when the main four-story building was built. Additional buildings were added and renovations made during the 1950s. By 1972, the present facilities were completed and air conditioning was installed. In the fall of 1976, the school began operating under the new Magnet School Curriculum, and the Class of 1980 became the first graduating class to attend all four full years under the Magnet Program.
Numerous district and state championships have been won as is attested by the vast collection of trophies on view in the lobby. Though the major sports of football, basketball, and baseball were discontinued in 1976, the individual and life-time sports have continued a tradition of winning district and state championships. State and district rally honors have increased, as have the number of National Merit Students among the student body.
The main three to four story neo-Gothic brick and terra cotta building, along with a portion of the campus, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 6, 1986.
The 4th floor of the school used to be home to the band and orchestra, but is now closed off to the student body. Elvis Presley played on the Baton Rouge High stage with Faron Young on May 2, 1955
The school also was used in 2009 as a location for the filming of parts of the film Ticking Clock.
The school had been temporarily moved to the old Lee High School building, due to renovations being done on the 1925 campus. Students returned to the renovated campus on August 8, 2012.
In 2025, the school, along with other areas around Baton Rouge, was used as the main filming location for the movie Re-Election, starring Tony Danza.
Distinctions and awards
The school was awarded the Blue Ribbon for Academic Excellence for the school years 1982–83 and 2003–04. The school offers 27 Advanced Placement classes, including Science Lab, with an additional American Government course speculated for 2008–2009. It has 20 honors courses, two dual enrollment courses through Baton Rouge Community College, and three foreign languages; French I-V, Spanish I-V, Latin I-V. Greek is offered sporadically and was last offered in 2012–2013. Due to faculty shortage, since 2007 Russian is no longer available. Similarly, German is no longer available as of 2022. Having a college-preparatory Magnet program, the school employs a rigorous curriculum resulting in almost all of its graduates attending college. The 270 students graduating in 2006 were offered over $8 million in college scholarships, with almost all going on to enter college.Four graduates have also gone on to be named Rhodes Scholars after college.
It received a special award in 2004 from the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., distinguishing it as one of five schools in the nation excelling in performing arts. It was one of two high schools to receive this award. On March 21, 2005, the school performed and displayed aspects of its arts and performances programs on one of the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stages.
The school is one of the few high schools in the nation to offer two student run radio stations and is the only one with both AM and FM stations. The original FM station, WBRH, was joined in 1993 by an AM station, KBRH. They are both non-profit radio stations and are run with the financial support of the listening community. They publicly broadcast jazz on WBRH, and classic R&B and local music on KBRH.
Awards
- 1982 Redbook Magazine - Top 100 High Schools in America
- 1983 Blue Ribbon School - U.S. Dept of Education
- 2003 Blue Ribbon School - U.S. Dept of Education
- 2004 Creative School Ticket of Excellence
- 2004 Louisiana Dept of Education - Five Star School of Academic Excellence
- 2004 Kennedy Center School of Distinction Creative Ticket Award
- 2005 Magnet Schools of America - Distinction Award
- 2005 Louisiana Dept of Education - Five Star School of Academic Excellence
- 2006 Magnet Schools of America - Distinction Award
- 2006 Louisiana Dept of Education - Five Star School of Academic Excellence
- 2006 Siemens Award for Advanced Placement
- 2006 Magnet Schools of America. Magnet School of Distinction
- 2007 Louisiana Dept of Education - Five Star School of Academic Excellence
- 2007 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics & Science Teaching
- 2008 U.S. News & World Report. Best High Schools, Silver Designation
- 2008 Magnet Schools of America - Distinction Award
- 2009 U.S. News & World Report. Best High Schools, Silver Designation
- 2010 National Magnet Schools of America - Magnet school Principal of the year
- 2010 National Magnet Schools of America - Excellence Award
- 2010 U.S. News & World Report. Best High Schools, Silver Designation
- 2011 U.S. Presidential Scholar
- 2011 Newsweek. #122-ranked High School in the US
- 2012 State Science Olympiad
- 2012 Newsweek America's Best High Schools
- 2012 Magnet Schools of America - Distinction Award
- 2012 U.S. Presidential Scholar
- 2013 Louisiana State Principal of the Year
- 2015 Blue Ribbon School - U.S. Dept of Education
- 2021 Blue Ribbon School - U.S. Dept of Education
Sports and athletics
Athletic history
The school has played in the 5A classification, the highest in the LHSAA, since moving up from 4A in 1998. It has won numerous state championships in many sports. Gymnastics and track and field programs are especially strong.In 2003, the school had a banner year for sports, winning 5 state championships: women's outdoor track, men's outdoor track, women's gymnastics, men's gymnastics, and women's cross country.
The women's swim team was state runner-up in 2005. Men's and women's coach George Newport has won the city's Coach of the Year award several times. Joanne Chien, class of 2010, won 5 individual state titles in her career, including setting a 5A record in the 100-yard backstroke in 2007.
The school's football team won eight state championships in 1909, 1911, 1913, 1914, 1917, 1919, 1944 and 1964 before being disbanded in 1976. The team also made one unsuccessful appearance in the state title game in 1954.
The school's basketball team won State Championships in 1968, 1961, 1954, 1950, 1932, 1911, 1910, 1909
The school has won the Southern Quality Ford Cup, the all-sports trophy, several times, despite not competing in football, basketball, or baseball.
The cross-country program was a dominant force in the 1980s and early 1990s as the men's team won 9 consecutive state titles from 1980 to 1988. The women's program won 6 state titles and placed numerous individual state champions.
In recent times, the women's outdoor track and field program has been one of the most dominant in the state, winning state championships in 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. They were also state runners-up in 2005 and 2006.
The men's gymnastics team, as of the end of the 2010–2011 school year, under the tutelage of longtime coach Kevin Nee, has won 7 of the last 9 LHSAA state championships, including four straight from 2002 to 2005. In 2010, team Captain Chris Chu, class of 2011, won first all-around in the LHSAA state championship. The women's team has placed in the top 3 in the state for 6 of the last 9 years, with one state championship in 2003.
The men's cross country team has a two-time 5A state champion in Philipp Goettert. Saul Rothschild was also a two-time state cross-country champion, in 1980 and 1981, when BRHS was classified as 3A.
Baton Rouge High also features a tennis team that has become more competitive in recent years. In the 2015–2016 season, Kelli Hu and Malini Bueche were runner-up at the regional and Division 1 state championships. They were also a part of the Girls Doubles All-Metro Team along with Baton Rouge High's Ashley Alfred and Sophia Akinniyi. In the 2016–2017 season, the duo of Kelli Hu and Malini Bueche won the 5A regional championships, giving Baton Rouge High its first regional tennis victory in many years. Also, singles players Shola Akinniyi, Sophia Akinniyi, and Gabriel Young made it to the regional semifinals, and Logan Bueche advanced to the finals.
The soccer team competes in district 5 of the 5A classification of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association. As of 2011, the team has made the playoffs 6 of the last 7 years. In the 2010–2011 season, senior forward Naveed Asayesh scored 47 goals, placing him 3rd in the state and 2nd in 5A.
The women's soccer team has advanced to the regional playoffs each of the last four years, including reaching the state semifinals in 2009 as an underdog #6 seed, upsetting #3 Mt. Carmel 1–0 in the quarterfinals before losing to #1 Fontainebleau in a penalty kick shootout 3 to 2.
The girls' golf team placed 3rd in the 2010 Baton Rouge Metro High School Championship.
The most recent addition to the athletic roster is men's bowling, which began play in the 2005–2006 school year, the same year the LHSAA held its first state championships in the sport.
In addition, the school has an intramural sports program consisting of American flag football, basketball, and volleyball.