Dutch Fork High School
Encyclopedia
Dutch Fork High School is a school in the Lexington & Richland County School District Five
system, located in Irmo
, South Carolina
, United States
. In 2009 it had approximately 1,956
students and is growing at a rate of as much as 5% a year. Originally built to contain no more than about 1,600 students, it has been expanded to accommodate a little over 1,900, and has faced severe overcrowding. Portable classrooms have been installed starting in the 2005-2006 school year, and nearly twice as many have been for the 2006-2007 school year.
Current class breakdown is as follows:
Dutch Fork has been named in Newsweek's List of the 100 Best Schools in the United States for five years in a row. In 2009, Dutch Fork reached its highest ranking yet: #91.
Dutch Fork High school is ranked 1 out of 244 in South Carolina, 2011.
A total of 143 teachers and educators work at DFHS, most of which retain vast experience in their respective fields. Of the current teaching staff, 86% hold at least a master's degree in one field and 35 have National Board Certification. On average, teachers hold 14 years of experience.
accelerated learning program offers numerous series of science and math courses for students to take an intensive AP/Honors curriculum before moving on to similar studies in college.
A total of 19 Advanced Placement
courses are offered in both liberal arts and science/math fields.
, Beta Club
, and Junior Civitans
. In addition to the current offering, students are able to found school sponsored clubs in a fashion similar to many colleges and universities: attain a teacher willing to sponsor the group, write a group charter/constitution, and establish yourself with the Student Council office of Clubs & Organizations.
6th grade students living in the DFHS attendance zone are zoned to CrossRoads Middle School. 7th and 8th graders in the DFHS attendance zone are zoned to Dutch Fork Middle School.
Lexington & Richland County School District Five
School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties is a South Carolina school district encompassing a land area of approximately 196 square miles, roughly half of which is situated in each of Lexington and Richland Counties. Student enrollment is at 16,717 as of August 2005...
system, located in Irmo
Irmo, South Carolina
Irmo is a town in Lexington and Richland counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina and a suburb of Columbia. It is 12 miles outside of the city center of Columbia and is part of the Columbia Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 2009 it had approximately 1,956
students and is growing at a rate of as much as 5% a year. Originally built to contain no more than about 1,600 students, it has been expanded to accommodate a little over 1,900, and has faced severe overcrowding. Portable classrooms have been installed starting in the 2005-2006 school year, and nearly twice as many have been for the 2006-2007 school year.
Current class breakdown is as follows:
- 9th - 21
- 10th - 18
- 11th - 12
- 12th - 4
Dutch Fork has been named in Newsweek's List of the 100 Best Schools in the United States for five years in a row. In 2009, Dutch Fork reached its highest ranking yet: #91.
Dutch Fork High school is ranked 1 out of 244 in South Carolina, 2011.
Principal and Staff
The new principal of Dutch Fork High School was announced in the Spring of 2007 as Gregg Morton, former principal at Pine Ridge Middle School in West Columbia. Morton officially became the new principal of Dutch Fork High School as of July 1, 2007.A total of 143 teachers and educators work at DFHS, most of which retain vast experience in their respective fields. Of the current teaching staff, 86% hold at least a master's degree in one field and 35 have National Board Certification. On average, teachers hold 14 years of experience.
Classes and Curriculum
Dutch Fork High School offers grade level, advanced, honors, and AP level courses, giving students a varied set of courses to work with their differing strengths and weaknesses. In addition, the STEMSTEM fields
STEM fields is a US Government acronym for the fields of study in the categories of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The acronym is in use regarding access to work visas for immigrants who are skilled in these fields. Maintaining a citizenry that is well versed in the STEM fields...
accelerated learning program offers numerous series of science and math courses for students to take an intensive AP/Honors curriculum before moving on to similar studies in college.
A total of 19 Advanced Placement
Advanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...
courses are offered in both liberal arts and science/math fields.
Athletics
DFHS offers numerous award-winning sports and athletic programs to students, as well as intramurals and in-school tournaments that change throughout the year. The school mascot is "Foxy" the Silver Fox and teams are known as the Dutch Fork Silver Foxes, with the exception of the district-wide hockey team: The District Five Fusion. There are also district-wide lacrosse teams. The boys district lacrosse team is under the Irmo High School name and the girls lacrosse team is under the Chapin High School name. Both Irmo and Chapin High School are in district five.Clubs and organizations
Dutch Fork maintains a very extensive and open collection of student organizations, as well as chapters of state and national organizations such as Key ClubKey Club
Key Club International is the oldest and largest service program for high school students. It is a student-led organization whose goal is to teach leadership through serving others. Key Club International is a part of the Kiwanis International family of service-leadership programs...
, Beta Club
National Beta Club
The National Beta Club is an organization for 5th-12th graders in the United States, recognizing academic achievement, leadership, character and service....
, and Junior Civitans
Junior Civitan International
Junior Civitan International is a student-led service organization for middle and high school students. There are 11,000 Junior Civitan members in 400 clubs in North America, Africa, Asia, and Europe. It is the longest lasting project of its parent organization Civitan International.-History:The...
. In addition to the current offering, students are able to found school sponsored clubs in a fashion similar to many colleges and universities: attain a teacher willing to sponsor the group, write a group charter/constitution, and establish yourself with the Student Council office of Clubs & Organizations.
Feeder patterns
The following elementary schools feed into Dutch Fork High School:- Ballentine Elementary School
- H. E. Corley Elementary School
- Dutch Fork Elementary School
- Oak Pointe Elementary School
- River Springs Elementary School
6th grade students living in the DFHS attendance zone are zoned to CrossRoads Middle School. 7th and 8th graders in the DFHS attendance zone are zoned to Dutch Fork Middle School.
Distinguished alumni
- Dustin JohnsonDustin JohnsonDustin Hunter Johnson is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour. He is one of the longest drivers on the PGA Tour having been third in the driving distance stats for three consecutive years between 2009-2011....
, Golfer - Danny EflandDanny EflandDanny Efland is a NASCAR driver who races for M&W Motorsports in the Nationwide Series. He has also competed in ARCA and the Camping World Truck Series...
, Race Car Driver - Justin Giles, So You Think You Can Dance (season 8)So You Think You Can Dance (season 8)So You Think You Can Dance is an American television reality program and dance competition airing on the Fox network. The show's eighth season premiered on May 26, 2011. It features the return of Mary Murphy and Nigel Lythgoe as permanent judges and Cat Deeley as host. Also returning is the...