The school enjoys widespread admiration for its diversity, strong academics and innovative education. ◊Academics
Ithaca High School has historically had a reputation for strong academics. Typically, about 70% of students matriculate at four-year colleges and 20% at two-year colleges following graduation. The school traditionally sends a very large number of graduates to nearby Cornell University;
from 2000 to 2004, an average of 37.6 students per class (slightly less than ten percent) matriculated at Cornell immediately following graduation. There are 140 professional staff members, including about 120 classroom teachers, and over 85% of the faculty has a Master's degree or higher. Two Ithaca High School math teachers received the prestigious Edyth May Sliffe Award, given annually to about 25 math teachers nationally: Dave Bock (twice, in 1990 and 1993), and Roselyn Teukolsky (in 1991). Nineteen advanced placement courses are offered:
Biology
Chemistry
Environmental Science
Physics (B & C)
Calculus (AB & BC)
Statistics
Computer Science AB
English Language
English Literature
Spanish Language
French Language
German Language
Latin: Vergil
Human Geography
U.S. History
Studio Art
Economics
◊History
Ithaca High School was founded in 1875 as the successor to the Ithaca Academy, a private school that had operated since the 1820s. In the late 19th and early 20th century, the school had a significant side business as a tuition-charging college preparatory school; then-Cornell University President Jacob Gould Schurman called it "one of the finest in the Northeast." From 1955 to 1967, the Ithaca High School Band received national recognition for its musicianship and innovation under the direction of Frank Battisti. During this time, the band commissioned 24 new compositions (many by Pulitzer Prize winners and some now important wind ensemble pieces), performed at locations such as the Eastman School of Music, the New York World’s Fair, and Rockefeller Center, and played with many guest soloists and conductors including Benny Goodman and Doc Severinsen. A book, One Band that Took a Chance by Brian Norcross, was later published about the IHS band of this era[14]. On May 7, 2009, Ithaca High School held a 50th Anniversary concert in honor of Frank Battisti and the 1959 commission of Warren Benson's piece Night Song, which included a new commission by local composer Gregory B. The Ithaca High School Orchestra, meanwhile, is one of the oldest high school orchestras in the country, having been established in 1904. It celebrated its 100th anniversary with a celebration and concert that included a newly commissioned work entitled Enlightened City by composer Robert Paterson.
◊The Tattler
The Ithaca High School school newspaper, the Tattler, founded in 1892, is one of the oldest high school student newspapers in the country. It is published six to ten times a year, and has a circulation of about 3,000, with distribution in both the school and in the community. The Tattler has traditionally been almost entirely student-run, with a student editorial board and student writers working with the assistance of a faculty advisor (usually a teacher in the IHS English department). The publication has expanded considerably in the past ten years, increasing its number of pages, introducing distribution outside of the high school, and developing an online presence. Famous alumni include Paul Wolfowitz (Features Editor, 1959–1960; Editorial Assistant, 1960–1961) and Stephen Carter (Editor-in-Chief, 1971–1972). The Tattler's slogan, a pun on the New York Times' slogan, is "All the news that's fit to tattle." The Tattler has twice (in 2005 and 2007) won the Ithaca High School Class/Ithaca Public Education Initiative "Support Our School Community Award".
◊ Newsweek: Best Public High Schools in America
Ithaca High School topped 400 in Newsweek's annual list of the top 1500 American public high schools, based on graduation rate, college matriculation rate, and AP tests taken per graduate, plus average SAT/ACT scores, average AP/IB scores, and AP courses offered per graduate.
