Framingham High School

Framingham High School (FHS) is a public high school in Framingham, Massachusetts, United States, serving grades 9 through 12. It is located approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Boston and enrolls about 2,500 students, making it one of the largest high schools in the state.[2]

Framingham High School
Framingham High School Seal
Location
Map
115 A Street

Framingham, Massachusetts
01701

United States
Information
School typePublic High School
Established1792/1852/1967/1991
School district
Framingham
SuperintendentRobert A. Tremblay
CEEB code220842
Principal
Mark Albright
Teaching staff
199.2 (FTE)[1]
Grades912
Age range14–18
Enrollment2,534 (2024–2025)[1]
Student to teacher ratio
12.7[1]
LanguageEnglish, Spanish & Portuguese
CampusUrban/Suburban
HousesGold, Silver, Blue, and Green
ColorsNavy blue and white   
Athletics conference
Bay State Conference
Sports
MascotFlyer
Team nameFlyers
RivalNatick
NewspaperThe Eagles Eye
YearbookPhilomath
Websitehttps://fhs.framingham.k12.ma.us/

The school traces its origins to the late 18th century through the Framingham Academy and related institutions. The later Framingham High School was established in 1991 through the merger of Framingham North High School and Framingham South High School.

History

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The Framingham Academy was established in 1798, replacing the organization known as the Proprietors of the Brick School House, which had formed in 1792.[citation needed]

The current high school was created when Framingham North High School and Framingham South High School merged in 1991.[3]

The town of Framingham gave the academy $1000, but some time later this was determined to be illegal and the academy was dissolved.[4]

The high school was formed in 1852 and later became the legal successor to the academy. Thus, the high school can be considered to be founded in either 1792 or 1852.[5]

In 1963, due to an increasing school population, the original Framingham High was split into two schools: Framingham North High School and Framingham South High School.

South High was located in the Flagg Drive campus in South Framingham (in the now-demolished Fuller Middle School, which was replaced with a new building at 31 Flagg Drive in 2021)[6] and North High was located at a new school building at Winch Park on A St. in Saxonville.

Originally, North High shared facilities with Winch Park Middle School ("E" & "F" halls in the current building) until 1974 when the first Cameron Middle School opened on Elm Street.

The two high schools remained separate until 1991 when they were merged to create a unified school under the name Framingham High School.

On a visit on October 20, 1994, President Bill Clinton signed the Improving America's Schools Act (IASA) in the school's John F. Kennedy gymnasium.[7]

Academics

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In the late 1990s, Framingham High School was identified as an underperforming school. After a series of reforms in the early and mid-2000s, student performance improved, with higher state test scores and increased participation in Advanced Placement courses.[8] In later years, the school performed better on standardized assessments than many districts serving similar student populations.[8][9] In 2008, Newsweek listed Framingham High among the top 500 high schools in the United States.[10]

The school has also been noted for outcomes among students learning English as a second or foreign language. Many students become proficient in English after several years of instruction,[11] and Framingham reports higher graduation rates and test scores than other districts with large English-learner populations. State law allows families to choose English-only instruction, but few parents of high school students in Framingham select this option.[12]

Framingham High uses a co-teaching approach in many classes, with two teachers working together. The model emphasizes collaboration and has been cited as a factor in the school’s designation as a Commonwealth Compass School.[13]

The school offers a range of programs to support students who need additional help, including mentoring, peer tutoring, academic support services, and an alternative high school campus.[8][14][15][16][17][18]

Framingham High School has received several state recognitions, including designation as a Commonwealth Compass School[13] and as a Vanguard Model School by the Massachusetts School Building Authority.[19]

Demographics

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According to Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education annual statistics, for the 2024-2025 academic year, the demographic enrollment distributions for race, gender and grade level at Framingham High School are as follows:

Total number of enrolled students: 2,534
Total number of full-time equivalent educators: 199.2
Therefore, the student to teacher ratio for this school is 12.7:1

Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity (2024-2025)[1]
Race Enrolled Pupils* % of District
African American 175 6.9%
Asian 119 4.7%
Hispanic 1,178 46.5%
Native American 0 0.0%
White 963 38.0%
Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander 0 0.0%
Multi-Race, Non-Hispanic 96 3.8%
Total 2,534 100%

* Approximate number of enrolled pupils is calculated based on total number of students in district, multiplied by reported percentage, and rounded to nearest whole student.

Enrollment by gender (2024-2025)[1]
Gender Enrolled pupils Percentage
Female 1,247 49.21%
Male 1,272 50.2%
Non-binary 15 0.59%
Total 2,534 100%
Enrollment by Grade[1]
Grade Pupils Enrolled Percentage
9 736 29.04%
10 649 25.61%
11 602 23.76%
12 546 21.55%
SP* 1 0.04%
Total 2,534 100%

* SP = Special Education Beyond Grade 12[20]


Framingham High School is a racially, ethnically, and economically diverse school due to the town of Framingham historically being a hub for immigrants to the United States.[21]

Extracurricular activities

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Drama company

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The Drama Company presents three annual shows, one of which is a one-act play for a statewide festival ran by the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild.[22]

FHS-TV (Home of Flyer News)

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Framingham High School Television (FHS-TV) began airing its student-run news program, Flyer News, in 1997, broadcasting live to the school each morning at 7:15 a.m. The program expanded in 2005 to air throughout the town.[23]

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Enrollment Data (2024-25)". profiles.doe.mass.edu. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  2. "2024-25 Enrollment by Grade Report (School)". profiles.doe.mass.edu. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  3. staff, Scott O'Connell/Daily News. "Framingham High to mark 20 years since merger". MetroWest Daily News. Retrieved 2025-12-06.
  4. Framingham History Center. A Beautiful Eminence. Framingham, MA: Framingham History Center, 2022. https://framinghamhistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/A-Beautiful-Eminence_001.pdf
  5. History of Framingham High from the Framingham Historical Society
  6. "Classes Begin For Students at New Fuller Middle School September 1 – Framingham SOURCE". September 2021. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
  7. Pres. Clinton Visit Archived September 30, 2006, at the Wayback Machine from The Clinton Foundation
  8. 1 2 3 Jan, Tracy (September 29, 2005). "On MCAS and beyond, school gets results". The Boston Globe.
  9. I. Elaine Allen; Norean Radke Sharpe (2005). "Demonstration of Ranking Issues for Students: A Case Study". Journal of Statistics Education. 13 (3).
  10. America's Top Public High Schools 2008 – Newsweek
  11. Shartin, Emily (January 19, 2006). "A language to learn". The Boston Globe.
  12. Project Dropout » Blog Archive » Debating The English-Only Law In Mass. High Schools
  13. 1 2 Welch, Michael; Maiorano, Paul. "Framingham High School Compass Award" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 24, 2011.
  14. "Resiliency For Life". resiliencyforlife.org.
  15. "Step Up To Excellence". stepuptoexcellence.org.
  16. Agency – The John Andrew Mazie Memorial Foundation
  17. "Framingham Public Schools – Special Education Department – High School Program". framingham.k12.ma.us. Archived from the original on June 27, 2009.
  18. "Framingham High School, Thayer Campus". framingham.k12.ma.us. Archived from the original on August 1, 2009.
  19. "Mass Insight Education & Research Institute". Archived from the original on December 6, 2009. Retrieved January 23, 2010.
  20. "Profiles Help-About the Data". www.profiles.doe.mass.edu. Retrieved 2019-09-26.
  21. Evans-Daly, Laurie & Gordon, David C. Framingham. Mount Pleasant, SC: Arcadia Publishing.
  22. "METG". METG.
  23. "feature in MetroWest Daily News".[dead link]
  24. "The Top Ranked Football Players of All-Time from Massachusetts High Schools". ainsworthsports.com. Retrieved 2025-11-28.
  25. Pave, Marvin (December 30, 2009). "Stan Benjamin, 95; coach and Major League scout". The Boston Globe. Globe Newspaper Company. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
  26. https://framinghamhalloffame.com/project/royal-bolling/
  27. Wilen, Jerome (13 February 2021). "WWE reportedly signs Northeast Indie star Christian Casanova to future deal". WWE News, WWE Results, AEW News, AEW Results.
  28. "Framingham's Danny O'Connor Headlines Fight at the Garden". January 26, 2013.
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