Valparaiso High School is a public high school in Valparaiso, Indiana.HistoryValparaiso High School opened in 1871 as Valparaiso City Public Graded School in a facility that had been built in 1861 by the local Presbyterian members as the Valparaiso Collegiate Institute on the site of the current Central Elementary School. The Institute closed by 1869 and the building was purchased that year by the city of Valparaiso for $10,000. A third story was added to the original building and an addition which doubled the available classroom space. In the first year, there were 400 students and 10 teachers. Three years later in 1874, the first graduation ceremonies were held for Valparaiso High School. As the community continued to grow in population, overcrowding became a common problem. In 1903, the building was condemned and demolished and replaced with a new building on the same site. During the period before the new facility was completed, classes were held at other locations in town, including the Armory. The new building cost around $80,000 and was designed by Charles Lembke, a local architect. The school faced towards the east and to allow for more attic space, was constructed with a Mansard roof, and also featured large chimneys and a tiered fountain. Although some sources report that the school included all grades, it was most likely used only as a high school.Enrollment continued to rise so that by the 1920s, a construction of a new school was necessary. A new high school opened in 1927 at 605 North Campbell Street, with a gymnasium finished the following year. This building served as the high school until 1972, and continues to be used as Benjamin Franklin Middle School. The current high school building at 2727 North Campbell Street opened in 1972. In 1988 a field house was added to the west of the original building. A major renovation came in 1993, with a $19 million project adding classrooms to the north section of the building, a new and expanded kitchen and student cafeteria, and renovated administrative and guidance areas. In 1997 a roof was added and in 2004 work began on renovating the football stadium.
