Dartmouth High School is a four-year public high school serving grades 9 to 12, located in the southern half of Dartmouth, Massachusetts, United States.

As of the 202223 school year, the school had an enrollment of 979 students and 76.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 13.5 to 1.

History

Origins The school began in 1902 on Russell's Mills Road in what is now the Salt-Marsh Pottery. By the 1930s the school had moved to a building on Slocum Road (referred to as the Elmer Poole School), which is now used as the town hall. In 1955 a new school was built next door, on the corner of Hawthorne Street, with the building being expanded twice, in 1965 and 1981. In 2003, the school was moved to its new location at the end of Bakerville Road, at the junction of Russells Mills Road, on the former farmland of the King family, with the former high school now being used as the middle school.

Crime In 1993 during a social studies class, a student was stabbed to death by classmates who barged into the classroom armed with baseball bats, Billy clubs, and knives. Three students aged 15 and 16 were charged with first-degree murder of Jason Robinson."Model School Tries to Cope With Killing in a Classroom". April 14, 1993. New York Times. Retrieved December 1, 2007

In 2025 a student attempted to stab another student using a pen with a screwdriver on the end. The student was charged with assault with intent to murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery, and assault with intent to cause serious bodily harm. No one was hurt during this incident.

Logo For much of its early history, Dartmouth High School (DHS) had several assorted designs associated with its mascot of an Indian. In 1973, Clyde Andrews, a member of the DHS class of 1974 and a member of regional Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) redesigned and formalized the logo to its current design. This was to more accurately reflect the eastern woodland Indians that had roots in the region of Old Dartmouth. This design was quickly adopted to represent not just the school, but Dartmouth as a whole.

The use of high school Native American mascots has been a topic of nationwide debate, leading to regional controversy over the school's logo in early 2022. With increasing contention, the question of whether to keep the Indian or replace it with a more appropriate alternative emerged. Those in support of the logo argued that the logo was more than a simple design, but an icon. It was pointed out that no iconography of the Indian was placed to where it could be stepped on and thus demeaned, along with the fact that when it was worn by sports players and members of the community alike, they "were elevated to a higher standard, to lose with grace and win with dignity." Those against the logo believed that the image's use as a sports icon had negatively affected the people of the Wampanoag tribe, and downplayed the current and former challenges Indigenous peoples had and continued to face. The issue was to be settled in early April 2022, where a vote would be held among the community to decide the fate of the Logo. With a split of 4,048 to 969, one of the largest voter turnouts in the history of the town, the community overwhelmingly advocated to keep the logo. This was later commemorated on April 25 at the annual school committee meeting.

Music Department

The music department includes the marching band, concert band, and jazz band, as well as the orchestra, chamber orchestra, chorus, and a cappella group Harmonix. It also includes the Winter color guard program and the Winter percussion program. All of which are finically aided through the Dartmouth School Music Association, or DSMA, through its providing of vital funds, scholarships, and support insuring the continued survival and growth of all of these programs.

Marching Band YearThemeRepertoireNESBA ScoreUSSBA / USBands ScoreNESBA PlacementUSSBA / USBands Placement2008Winter SolsticeWindsprints by Richard Saucedo and October by Eric Whitacre.98.998.2751st1st2009Gift of MusicAppalachian Spring by Aaron Copland96.7097.8132nd1st2010Ritual160 BPM from the film Angels & Demons / The Witch and the Saint by Steven Reineke97.6098.5501st1st2011TwistedAsphalt Cocktail by John Mackey / Noisy Wheels of Joy by Eric Whitacre / Arabesque by Samuel R. Hazo98.4098.2251st1st2012Blown AwayUrban Dances Suite: I. Ben misurato by Zdeněk Mácal / Windrider by B.J. Brooks / Velocity by Larry Neeck96.796.5381st2nd2013ParisAn American in Paris by George Gershwin / Blue Shades by Frank Ticheli / Transition and Ballad / Bonaparte by Otto M. SchwarzN/A96.6N/A1st2014VoodooStrange Humors by John Mackey / Shadow Rituals by Michael Markowski / Chant Rituals by Elliot Del Borgo99.197.8631st2nd2015Into the HiveThe Wasps by Ralph Vaughan Williams / Flight of the Bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky- Korsakov98.097.1251st2nd2016Into the Light of SpringSnow Caps by Richard Saucedo / Remedy by Adele / Into the Light by Jay Bocook98.997.0631st1st2017Farewell My LovelyHarlem Nocturne by Earle Hagen and Dick Rogers / 221b Baker Street by Patrick Gowers / Marlowe's Theme from the film Farewell My Lovely / Ignition by Todd Stalter99.198.3501st1st2018The RainforestDance of the New World by Dana Wilson / Fly to Paradise by Eric Whitacre / Whirlybird by Todd Stalter99.698.0751st1st2019The Witching HourThe Witch and the Saint by Steven Reineke / Pampeana No. 3, Op. 24 by Alberto Ginastera98.598.5751st1st2020Marching BandPercussionBirdlandBehind the MaskMarching BandBirdland by Weather ReportPercussionCompositions from The Mask of ZorroN/A+Marching Band94.8Percussion98.5N/A1st†2021Thorns and PetalsScheherazade (Rimsky-Korsakov) by Rimsky-Korsakov / Kiss from a Rose by Seal (musician) / El Tango de Roxanne from Moulin Rouge!99.298.01st1st2022ForgottenThe Ecstasy of Gold by Ennio Morricone / The Magnificent Seven - Main Theme by Elmer Bernstein / Sonoran Desert Holiday by Ron Nelson / Danzon No. 2 by Arturo Márquez99.297.71st1st2023Stencils at an AlleywayPictures at an Exhibition by Modest MussorgskyN/A98.05N/A1st2024CelestialClaire de Lune by Claude Debussy / Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig van BeethovenN/A97.65N/A1st † = These scores are from the USBands Virtual Grand Finale.

The band previously competed in the highest division of the NESBA marching band circuit, earning class championships in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022, their final year competing at circuit championships. Additionally, they have many other titles in NESBA since NESBA's founding in the early 1980s, where the marching band holds the highest score in NESBA history, 99.6, received in 2018 with the field show entitled "The Rainforest”. They also held the previous records of 99.1 scored in both 2014 and 2017.

In 2003, the band began attending USBands (formerly USSBA) championships after previous infrequent appearances at local USBands events during the 1990s. The band won its first USBands championship during their first appearance in 2003, followed by additional championship wins in 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, achieving an unprecedented streak of eight consecutive USBands championships between 2016-2024 while remaining undefeated in all competitions they entered in the Northeast during this time (including NESBA, USBands, and Bands of America events). While formerly awarding only class championships, USBands began awarding overall "National" championship titles (irrespective of class) beginning with the 2008 season, of which Dartmouth has been named the overall champion in almost all of their championship seasons. The USBands National Championships were held in Annapolis, Maryland (2008–2011) and are now held in East Rutherford, New Jersey (2012–present)."Dartmouth School Music Association ~ Marching Band Competition Scores " Dartmouth is the record holder for the highest score in USBands history, achieving a 98.575 for their 2019 show (tied with the scoring record previously set in 2008 by Nazareth Area HS, PA).

The band also began competing in the Bands of America circuit in 2022 by winning in their first appearance at the New Jersey Regional Championship with an 83.600. In 2023, they returned to the Bands of America New Jersey Regional, successfully defending their title and scoring the two highest scores ever achieved by a New England band in Bands of America Regional competition, first scoring an 88.35 in preliminary competition and an 86.65 in finals competition (net of penalty). Later that year, they made their first trip to the Bands of America Grand National Championships, located in Indianapolis, IN. While there, they advanced to the semifinals round after placing 20th (4th in Class 2A) in the preliminary round. In semifinals, they finished in 28th place with a score of 81.275, 0.025 away from receiving a medal in Class 2A.

Dartmouth is only the fourth band from Massachusetts to compete in Bands of America events. They were the second Massachusetts band (now three) to make finals at a Bands of America regional event, the second Massachusetts band to win a Bands of America regional, and the third band to do so from New England, undefeated in their only two regional competition appearances. They are one of only two bands from Massachusetts to attend the Bands of America Grand Nationals, with both participants advancing to the semifinals round in their appearances.

The Band also holds many titles at MICCA and formerly in "MAA-EMBA", the Eastern Marching Band Association (1996-1999 class champions). The group has also performed at the 1996 Tournament of Roses Parade, as well as several other festivals and Magic Music Days at the Walt Disney World Resort. The band and percussion performed their own shows virtually in 2020 during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Winter Percussion YearThemePlacementScore1998Scenes from Gotham City1st98.3501999Scenes from West Side Story1st97.2502000Dances of the New World2nd96.1002001Passion, Grace & Fire3rd94.8502002For the Boys: A Tribute to the USO3rd92.6002003Wild Life1st†96.8†2004Young Guns Head West3rd93.1002005Duality3rd92.6002006What It Means To Be Human2nd94.0002007The Turning Point2nd94.8002008Mightier Than The Sword: Modern Day Gladiators1st96.7502009The Garden1st97.9882010Conviction3rd95.5002011The Siren's Song2nd95.8132012Evolved2nd96.8252013Stealing Fire4th94.2882014Let Them Eat Cake: Marie Antionette's Scandalous Life1st98.2382015Speakeasy3rd95.5882016Revolution5th93.8632017Emotional Roller Coaster5th94.6002018Out of the Box2nd97.1882019All In - A Dance With Addiction4th94.8882020The WebN/A‡N/A‡2021The Web 2.0N/AN/A2022The Curse of Medusa3rd97.5252023The Raven: From the Desk of Edgar Allan Poe6th94.6882024Gallery X: Where Art Comes to Life4th95.7002025Tom's Diner9th90.400 † = The group did not attend WGI World Championships and only attended NESBA Finals. ‡ = The group did not attend WGI World Championships or NESBA Finals. The Dartmouth High Winter Percussion performs in Winter Guard International where they consistently placed in the top 3 from 1998 to 2013. Today, they compete in Scholastic World Class at Winter Guard International championships held in Dayton, Ohio. The group won WGI Percussion Scholastic World Championships in 1998, 1999, 2008, 2009, and 2014, with 2nd-place finishes in 2000, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, and 2018 and 3rd-place finishes in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2022. In Winter Guard International world class competitions, they have consistently won fan favorite. They have also held the record for the highest scoring group in the Percussion Scholastic World division for 15+ years. The group did not attend NESBA Finals or WGI World Championships in 2020 because of the global COVID-19 pandemic. The group was able to perform in virtual WGI competitions in 2021, however.

Winter Guard