Spain Park High School
Spain Park High School (SPHS) is a four-year public high school in the Birmingham, Alabama, suburb of Hoover. It is the smaller of two high schools in the Hoover City School System. School colors are Carolina blue, black, and white, and the athletic teams are called the Jaguars. SPHS competes in AHSAA Class 7A athletics.[2]
Spain Park High School | |
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![]() Spain Park High School Exterior | |
Location | |
4700 Jaguar Drive , United States | |
Coordinates | 33°23′32″N 86°43′44″W |
Information | |
Type | Public |
Opened | 2001 |
School district | Hoover City Schools |
Principal | Larry Giangrosso |
Faculty | 111.83 (FTE)[1] |
Grades | 09-12 |
Enrollment | 1,597 (2018-19)[1] |
Student to teacher ratio | 14.28[1] |
Color(s) | Carolina Blue, Black & White |
Athletics | AHSAA Class 7A |
Mascot | Jaguar |
Newspaper | The Jag |
Yearbook | The Rosette |
Website | https://www.hoovercityschools.net/sphs |
Recognition
SPHS is consistently recognized as one of the best high schools in Alabama:
- SPHS is one of 12 schools in Alabama to be included in the Washington Post's 2015 list of America's Most Challenging High Schools.[3]
- SchoolDigger ranks SPHS 13th among 357 high schools in the state of Alabama and 5th among high schools in the Birmingham-Hoover metropolitan area.[4]
- Niche ranks SPHS 4th in the state of Alabama and 3rd among high schools in the Birmingham-Hoover metropolitan area.[5]
- The U.S. Department of Education has recognized SPHS as a National Blue Ribbon School and awarded it the National Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Award.[6][7]
Student Profile
Enrollment in grades 9-12 for the 2013-14 school year is 1,633 students. Approximately 65% of students are white, 24% are African-American, 5% are Asian-American, 4% are Hispanic, and 2% are multiracial. Roughly 22% of students qualify for free or reduced price lunch.[8]
SPHS has a graduation rate of 92%. Ninety-eight percent of its students meet or exceed proficiency standards in both reading and mathematics. The average ACT score for SPHS students is 24.[9]
Athletics
SPHS competes in AHSAA Class 7A athletics and fields teams in the following sports:[10]
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Bowling
- Cheerleading
- Cross Country
- Dance
- Football
- Golf
- Indoor Track & Field
- Lacrosse
- Outdoor Track & Field
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming and Diving
- Tennis
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
SPHS has won state championships in the following sports:
- Lacrosse (2011, 2012, 2015, 2016)
- Baseball (2014)
- Boys' golf (2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016)
- Girls' golf (2009, 2017)
- Boys' indoor track and field (2012)
- Girls' soccer (2004, 2009, 2010, 2011)
- Boys' tennis (2007)
- Boys' bowling (2016, 2017)
- Girls' basketball (2018)
Spain Park's football team was shown on MTV's television program Two-A-Days, as an opponent of arch-rival Hoover High.[11] The team also advanced to the "Super Six" Class 6A final game of the Alabama High School Athletic Association football championship in 2007, losing to defending champion Prattville High School (which defeated Hoover in the 2006 finals).
Notable alumni
- Simone Charley – National Women's Soccer League player for the Portland Thorns
- Chris Ellis – Major League Baseball player.[12]
- Tyler Grisham – National Football League player for the Pittsburgh Steelers
- Michael Jackson – National Football League player for the Dallas Cowboys
- Nick Mullens – National Football League player for the San Francisco 49ers
References
- "Spain Park High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- "AHSAA School Classification 2014-16" (PDF).
- "Alabama Schools - The Washington Post". apps.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
- "Alabama School Rankings". SchoolDigger. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
- "Best Public High Schools in Alabama - Niche". K-12 School Rankings and Reviews at Niche.com. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
- Ray, Tiffany (2008-09-09). "Spain Park High School named national Blue Ribbon School". The Birmingham News.
- "No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools Program - 2008 Schools", U.S. Department of Education
- "Spain Park High School". SchoolDigger. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
- "Spain Park High School in Hoover, AL - Niche". K-12 School Rankings and Reviews at Niche.com. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
- "Home". This is the home of spainparkathletics.org. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
- Two-A-Days at MTV.com
- "Chris Ellis". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2019.