Altoona High School

Not to be confused with Altoona Area High School.

Altoona High School is a public high school located in Altoona, Wisconsin. It serves students in grades 9 through 12 and is the only high school in the Altoona School District.

Altoona High School
Location
711 7th Street West Altoona , Wisconsin 54720 United States
Coordinates	44.802039°N 91.441892°W / 44.802039; -91.441892
Information
Type	Public secondary school
Established	1913
School district	Altoona School District
Principal	Jim Reif
Teaching staff	34.90 (FTE)[1]
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	564 (2022-2023)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	16.16[1]
Color(s)
Athletics conference	Cloverbelt Conference
Nickname	Railroaders
Website	Official website

History

Although elementary education had been provided for Altoona residents since the late nineteenth century, a public high school was not opened until October 1913. The original building burned down in 1951, and a successful February 1952 referendum authorized a new building, which opened in October of that year. A 1981 referendum to address overcrowding by building a new high school failed, but a 1986 referendum for a new building passed.^[2]

Demographics

The school's student population is 86 percent white, five percent Hispanic, two percent Asian, and two percent black. Four percent of students identify as a part of two or more races. 28 percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.^[3]

Academics

Advanced Placement classes are offered at Altoona; just under half of students take an AP class.^[4]

Athletics

AHS athletic teams are known as the Railroaders and compete in the Cloverbelt Conference.^[5] In the fall of 2019, a new sports complex with artificial turf opened, housing contests for the football, soccer, and track and field.^[6] The football field is named after former Green Bay Packers player Fuzzy Thurston, a graduate of the school.^[7]

Altoona schools athletic fields

State Championships^[8]

Year	Division/Class	Sport
2018		Girls hockey*
2011	Division 3	Girls basketball
2001	Division 2	Softball
1939	Class C	Boys basketball
1934	Class C	Boys track and field
* denotes championship was part of a cooperative team

Performing arts

Altoona High has a competitive show choir. The group was originally named "Northland Singers", but is now known as "Locomotion". At times, the school also had a jayvee-level group, "Enginuity".^[9] The school has hosted its own competition, "Locopalooza", annually since 2000.^[10]

Notable alumni

• Leonard Haas, former chancellor of University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire^[11]
• Tod Ohnstad, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly^[12]
• Fuzzy Thurston, Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame member^[13]