Boise High School

Boise High School. 1010 W. Washington Street. In 1903, Boise High School opened to students in an elaborate, red brick Victorian building. As the city grew, more space was needed and a new building was designed by the firm of Tourtellotte and Hummel. In order to minimize disruption to students, it was built in phases. The first wing was added to the east in 1908 and the west wing was added in 1912. An Industrial Arts building was added in 1919 and stood where the Frank Church Building of Technology is today. Two years later, the original red brick building in the middle was replaced. The new neoclassic-style school has a portico supported by ionic columns and a relief bust of Pluto in the tympanum. A new Art Deco-style gym was added in 1936, paid for in part with coins collected by students during the great depression. Despite suggestions to close the school in the 1990s, Boise High was remodeled in 1998, modernizing the interior for the Information age. The historic exterior remains today. Boise High is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1919, the state's first radio station, KFAU, was established by Boise High students and transmitted out of the new Industrial Arts building. The components included a large tower mounted on the roof and extra electricity was wired to the control station in the basement. KFAU operated out of Boise High for nine years, before being sold to investors and becoming the commercial station KIDO Radio. At the time of its inception, KFAU was not only the first and only radio station in Idaho, but one of the few in the nation. At the time of its sale in 1928, radios were commonplace with transmitters across the country, even in small towns.

During its early days, Boise High had a varied curriculum extending beyond the three Rs; including cooking, sewing and manual training classes. It was notable for its athletic programs and over the years cultivated a reputation of academic excellence. Boise High National Honor Society was one of the first chartered in the nation following World War I. Boise High established one of the earliest Advanced Placement programs in the state; beginning in 1980 with U.S. History and English, it continued to expand, offering over twenty three AP programs from Physics to Music Theory. Vigorous academics have resulted in strong national rankings for Boise High and increasing numbers of students qualify as candidates for the National Merit® Scholarship program.