Brighton High School (Rochester, New York)


Brighton High School, commonly abbreviated BHS, is a public high school located in Brighton, an incorporated town adjacent to the southeast border of Rochester, New York, United States. It offers a comprehensive curriculum for students in grades 9–12. It is part of the Brighton Central School District.

Overview

In 2015, Brighton offered Advanced Placement classes in numerous subjects, including Calculus, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Economics, Government and Politics, Psychology, United States History, European History, Statistics, Studio Art, English Literature, English Language, Spanish, French, German, and Computer Science. Of the 1094 AP exams administered to students, about 83% scored a 3 or higher.
The class of 2015 graduated 296 students. There were eight National Merit Scholarship finalists, eight semi-finalists, and nine commended students. For the class of 2015, about 89% of graduates chose to go onto high education, with the majority going to four-year colleges. Brighton regularly sends numerous graduates to top colleges and universities, including alumni currently at the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, Harvard University, Williams College, Princeton University, the University of Rochester, Stanford University, Georgetown University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Many Brighton students comment on Brighton's diversity, with about 28% minority enrollment, Brighton's academic feel and environment, and Brighton's commitment to deep learning beyond simply memorization to prepare for a test. For example, the AP US History course at Brighton requires that each student participate in a debate regarding a topic in US history and write an extended academic paper about the topic. This assignment requires an extensive amount of work, rhetorical skill, academic research, and creativity.
Brighton is an incorporated town adjacent to the southeast border of the city of Rochester. The high school has an urban-suburban program that allows students from the City of Rochester to attend Brighton High School.

Performance

The school has appeared on Newsweek magazine's Top 100 Public High Schools list. In 1998, Brighton achieved its highest ranking on the Newsweek list, in 5th place. In 2004, it was ranked 27th in the nation. In 2006, it was placed 96th. In 2007, it was placed 79th, one ahead of Pittsford Mendon High School. In 2008, it was ranked 158, fifth among schools in the Rochester area behind Pittsford Sutherland, Pittsford Mendon, Greece Odyssey and Wilson Magnet. Rankings fluctuate heavily based upon AP exams administered relative to the graduating senior class. In 2010, Brighton was placed 126th.
In 2007, U.S. News & World Report magazine ranked Brighton High School 57th out of 18,790 public high schools. It was the only Monroe County school on the list.

Publications and productions

Brighton is one of the only schools in the Rochester area that allows its publications to hold permanent office spaces.
Brighton students are offered a wide array of courses in languages other than English, including:
In 2011, the Brighton Barons boys' soccer team won their third sectional title after defeating Aquinas in the Class A finals 2-0. They then defeated East Aurora of Buffalo 4-0 to win the Western New York Regional title, which gave them a place in the 2011 State Championship tournament in Middletown, New York. The Barons lost to Maine-Endwell in the semi-finals, where they lost in penalty kicks 4-5 after they tied 1-1 in regulation. They ended the season 13-4-4. The boys' soccer team won another title in 2012, when they defeated the eighth in the nation, and rival Pittsford Mendon, after Mendon swept them in regular season play. They beat Mendon 3-1. They lost in the Regional game to Williamsville East 2-0.
The girls' Field Hockey team in 2013 beat Pittsford Sutherland for the sectional title. The team went to regional championship and won against Amherst Central to advance to the Semi-Finals. The team then faced Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, Brighton won. Brighton advanced to the finals where they lost to Lakeland.
The girl's brighton nordic ski team has held the Section V and state titles for two consecutive years, beginning in 2019.

Extracurricular activities

Many of Brighton's extracurricular teams have performed well in many competitions:
Brighton offers other extracurriculars, including Mock Trial, the Gay-Straight Alliance, Break Dance Club, Friends of Rachel, Recycling Club, Young Democrats, and Young Republicans. New clubs are formed every year, providing students a variety of activities to partake in.

Notable alumni