B.M.C. Durfee High School is a public high school located in the city of Fall River, Massachusetts, United States. It is a part of Fall River Public Schools and is the city's main public high school, the other being Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School.
| B.M.C. Durfee High School | |
|---|---|
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| Address | |
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360 Elsbree Street , 02720
United States
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| Coordinates | 41°42′55″N 71°7′16″W / 41.71528°N 71.12111°W / 41.71528; -71.12111 |
| Information | |
| Type | Public High School Open enrollment[1] |
| Established | 1887 |
| School district | Fall River Public Schools |
| Superintendent | Maria Pontes |
| Principal | Matthew Desmarais |
| Teaching staff | 201.84 (FTE)[3] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 2,460 (2022–23)[3] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 12.19[3] |
| Campus | Urban |
| Color(s) | Red & Black |
| Athletics conference | MIAA Big Three League |
| Nickname | Hilltoppers |
| Accreditation | New England Association of Schools and Colleges |
| Newspaper | The Hilltop |
| Website | DHS Website |
| [4][5][6][7] | |
In 2014 the school and Bristol Community College (BCC) were planning an agreement regarding early college classes.[8]
The school has been located in two buildings. From its opening in 1886 until the new building was completed in 1978 the school was located in the historic B.M.C. Durfee High School building on Rock Street, The iconic building, with its tall red-capped clock tower and red-domed observatory tower, overlooks the Taunton River and gives rise to the Fall River school district's seal, the school's athletics nickname, the Hilltoppers, their school colors of black and red (for the two roof colors), the school newspaper, the Hilltop, and their school alumni newspaper, the Chimes. For several decades prior to moving, the school also occupied the former Technical High School building across the street.
Since 1978 the school has been located on Elsbree Street in the city's north end. Located in former swamp land, the school was built both to modernize the district and to alleviate the overcrowding at the former sites. The school also moved its athletic fields, which were nearby to the new school, to its new campus, as well as building the on-campus Luke Urban Field House, as the school had formerly used the Fall River Armory for indoor athletics. Since 2011, there has also been a modern recreation of the Durfee clock tower located at the new site.
Durfee's athletic teams are known as the Hilltoppers, a nod to the location of the old school building atop the Highland neighborhood hills overlooking the Taunton River, and their school colors are black and red. As of the 2018–2019 school year, their school mascot is Rocky the Hilltopper. The school fight song is sung to the tune of the Notre Dame Victory March.
Many of the below are considered distinguished alumni of Durfee by the B.M.C. Durfee Alumni Association.[9]
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