We’re Accepting Applications for the
2026-27 School Year

Click to learn more about P-H-M and why you should join our family.

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation is proud to celebrate two Penn High School educators, AP U.S. History teacher Keith O’Connell and AP Language and Composition teacher Julie Huxford, for their continued success in helping students excel in Advanced Placement coursework.

Superintendent Dr. Heather Short and Penn Principal Rachel Fry surprised O’Connell and Huxford with the P-H-M Teacher Impact Award recognition. Both teachers had the highest percentage of students earning a score of 3 or higher on their respective AP exams last year, demonstrating the impact of strong instruction, high expectations, and a commitment to student growth.

O’Connell and Huxford collaborate as co-teachers for a seminar class, allowing students to benefit from their combined expertise in historical analysis, reading comprehension, discussion, and argumentation. Their partnership helps create a cohesive academic experience that supports students across disciplines and strengthens overall achievement.

Beyond individual classroom success, Penn’s AP performance data shows a clear upward trend compared to state averages:

• AP U.S. History results have improved from -1% to +8% compared to statewide scores over the past three years.

• AP Language and Composition results have increased from +11% to +18% compared to state results during the same period.

These gains reflect a consistent emphasis on critical thinking, analytical writing, and deep content understanding, skills that prepare students not only for AP exams, but also for future college and career success.

The P-H-M Teacher Impact Award is presented each semester to teachers whose students show the greatest academic growth, highlighting excellence in teaching and learning across the district.

Thank you to the P-H-M Education Foundation for providing the beautiful engraved awards that the teachers keep in their classrooms as a reminder of what they and their students accomplished.

All P-H-M Impact Award Winners will be recognized for their outstanding student growth at the next School Board Meeting on Monday, March 16 at Meadow’s Edge Elementary School.

Click to see the full photo gallery in Canto.

Penn High School Early College students recently stepped outside the classroom to explore college campuses across Indiana during the program’s annual College Blitz Trip.

Since 2023, the Early College Academy has taken students on four College Blitz Trips with the goal of helping juniors, and sometimes sophomores when space allows, experience college life firsthand. The two-day trip gives students the opportunity to visit multiple campuses that would be difficult to see during a traditional one-day field trip and helps them imagine what their future could look like after high school.

This year’s trip included visits to Indiana University Bloomington, Purdue University West Lafayette, IU Indianapolis, and Butler University. Students experienced everything from large Big Ten campuses to a downtown city setting and a smaller private university atmosphere. The variety allowed students to compare campus environments, explore academic programs, and start thinking about which type of school feels right for them.

The experience also focused on building connections within the Early College program. On Tuesday night, students shared a memorable bonding moment when they were recognized at an Indiana Pacers game.

About Penn’s Early College Academy

Penn High School’s Early College Academy gives students the opportunity to begin their college journey while still in high school. Through a partnership with Ivy Tech Community College, students take dual credit courses taught by credentialed Penn teachers, allowing them to earn college credits while completing high school graduation requirements.

The program supports students as they build confidence, develop college readiness skills, and work toward earning significant college credit, and in some cases an Associate’s Degree, before graduating from Penn High School. Early College continues to open doors for students by providing access, support, and real college experiences that help prepare them for success after graduation.

Learning Beyond the Classroom

College Blitz Trips are an extension of the Early College mission. By walking college campuses, meeting with admissions staff, and seeing college life up close, students gain valuable perspective that helps make their next steps feel more real and achievable. For many students, the trip is more than a visit. It is a chance to see themselves on a college campus and begin planning for what comes next.

To learn more about Penn’s Early College Academy click here.

Penn High School’s Class of 2026 has earned a record-high 15 National Merit Scholarship Finalists—placing those students among the top one percent of high school students nationwide! This milestone marks the most National Merit Finalists in Penn High School history and represents a significant academic achievement for the Penn-Harris-Madison community.

The 15 students include:

• Sreeja Bhattacharjee
• Mehreen Buchh
• Balthasar Cammett
• Madeline Dunn
• Connor Geoghegan
• Zachary Girton
• Quinn Hayden
• Wasif Javed
• Sultaan Khan
• Trenton Mager
• Ishita Masetty
• Leo Ni
• Joshua Oh
• Roman Ramos
• Grant Spadafore

Approximately 15,000 high school seniors nationwide have been named 2026 National Merit Scholarship Finalists, representing the top one percent of students in the United States. Selected from more than 16,000 Semifinalists announced in September 2025, finalists must complete a rigorous application process that includes confirming high PSAT/NMSQT performance with a qualifying SAT or ACT score, maintaining an outstanding academic record (generally a 3.5 GPA or higher), earning a high school recommendation, and submitting a self-descriptive essay. Of those finalists, approximately 6,930 students will ultimately receive National Merit Scholarships, with winners announced between April and July 2026. Click here for more details.

Penn High School Principal Rachel Fry commented on how the achievement reflects the dedication of students and the academic excellence Penn faculty provided … 

“I am incredibly proud to celebrate our 15 National Merit Scholarship Finalists, the most in our school’s history. Even more impressive, every one of our semi-finalists advanced to finalist standing, a testament to their dedication, perseverance, and academic excellence. This remarkable achievement reflects not only the talent and effort of these students, but also the commitment of our teachers, families, and school community who support them each day. It is an exciting accomplishment and I could not be more proud of this outstanding group of scholars.”

Penn Playschool students took their first “trip” of the week without ever leaving the classroom, thanks to a special visit from some Penn High School Spanish students.

Penn Playschool is part of Penn High School’s Health and Human Services Academy and provides a hands-on learning experience for both high school and preschool-aged students. Early Childhood Education students plan and lead intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development-based activities for preschool-aged students, applying what they’ve learned throughout the school year. Under the guidance of certified teacher Kylee Wetzel, the program supports future educators while creating meaningful, engaging experiences for young learners.

This week, Penn Playschool is exploring a “Cultures & Travel” theme, and the kickoff featured a fun, interactive mini-lesson in Spanish led by Penn High School Spanish students.

During the most recent lesson, playschool students practiced counting to 10 in Spanish and learned a few everyday words and phrases, including hello, thank you, and goodbye. Experiences like this not only introduce early learners to new languages and cultures, they also create meaningful connections across our school community by bringing students together to learn from one another. Great way to show #PHMExcellence, Kingsmen!

📍 Penn High School | 🗓 March 7–8, 2026
🎟 Admission: Free

Penn High School will host a FIRST Indiana Robotics District Competition on Saturday, March 7, and Sunday, March 8, 2026. The competition will take place in the Main Arena and feature more than 40 teams from across Indiana.

Click here to see a photo gallery of last year’s competition.

📅 Event Schedule

Saturday, March 7

• 10:30 a.m. – Opening Ceremonies

• All Day – Qualification Matches

• @7:00 p.m. – Competition concludes

Sunday, March 8

• 9:30 a.m. – Opening Ceremonies

• 2:00–5:00 p.m. – Playoff Matches & Awards

🤖 About the Competition

• Theme: FIRST AGE (Archaeology)

• Game: REBUILT

• This event serves as a qualifier for the FIRST Indiana Robotics Championship
  (April 17–19 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds)

• Top teams may advance to the FIRST Robotics World Championships

👉 Click here for more information on the REBUILT game

🚗 Parking & Entry

• Parking: Penn High School parking lots: Main, Softball, Soccer; and across the street at Schmucker Middle School

• Spectator Entrance: Door D (northwest corner of the school)

🍔 Food & Amenities

• Food trucks available both days

• Spectator-friendly event for all ages

Come cheer on Indiana’s best student engineers and experience innovation, teamwork, and problem-solving in action!

Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation (P-H-M) is proud to announce that Penn High School’s graduation rate once again exceeds the state average, reaffirming the school’s commitment to preparing students who are college, career and life ready.

The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) recently released statewide graduation data showing Indiana’s Class of 2025 achieved a record-high 91.83% graduation rate, the highest in state history and a 1.6-point increase from the previous year.

Penn High School far surpassed this record, achieving an impressive 97.3% graduation rate.

Penn’s Class of 2025 Shines

The Class of 2025 embodies Penn’s tradition of excellence and perseverance. Nearly half of Penn graduates earned Academic High Honors, while the class collectively earned more than $22 million in scholarships.

Other standout accomplishments include:

• 429 students earned an Academic Honors Diploma

• 261 students earned High Honors

• 87 students earned a Technical Honors Diploma

• 98 students graduated with an Associate’s Degree from Ivy Tech Community College

• 6 students were named National Merit Scholarship Finalists

Academic Achievement Across the Board

Penn students also continue to excel in advanced coursework. During the 2024-25 school year, 83% of Penn students scored a 3 or higher on Advanced Placement (AP) exams, demonstrating strong college readiness and academic rigor.

Indiana high school students are now required to take the SAT for graduation. According to IDOE’s latest data, Penn High School moved up 12 spots statewide in SAT pass percentage, rising from #27 to #15 among public high schools.

P-H-M also outperformed the state average by 20 percentage points on the Spring 2025 ILEARN assessment, placing the district in the top 4% of public school corporations across Indiana.

In 2024, Penn High School Robotics Coach Kyle Marsh and students came up with an idea on how to help students with ADHD, on the Autism Spectrum, or who just need help concentrating at school. Their idea was to use 3D printers to create and produce fidget tools for students. The key to making these tools more accessible and quickly available to the elementary students who needed them was to put a 3D printer at all 11 of P-H-M’s elementary schools.

Fortunately, P-H-M teachers and staff members can apply for classroom grants  through the P-H-M Education Foundation to pay for innovative ideas like this. Marsh was awarded a $5,000 grant to bring his idea to fruition. Penn High School students also benefit on this project because Marsh’s Robotics students not only install the 3D printers at the elementary schools, but they also help Marsh manage the project.

This inspiring story was recently featured on WSBT “Operation Education” highlighting the program in action at Elsie Rogers Elementary School where Marsh’s son Cooper attends third grade. Elsie Rogers was highlighted as of P-H-M’s 11 elementary schools with the 3D printers. Click to watch the story below on WSBT’s YouTube channel.

Penn German Students Experience Holiday Traditions at Chicago’s Christkindlmarket

Penn High School German students took their learning beyond the classroom this month with a field trip to Chicago’s Christkindlmarket, a traditional German-style holiday market that brings European culture to life in the heart of the city.

Surrounded by twinkling lights, handcrafted ornaments, and the scent of roasted nuts and pretzels, students experienced authentic German holiday traditions firsthand. They practiced conversational German with vendors, sampled traditional foods, and explored the cultural roots behind one of Germany’s most beloved seasonal celebrations.

This immersive experience not only strengthened students’ understanding of the German language, but also deepened their appreciation for the country’s rich history and festive customs.

Thank you to Penn’s German teachers for providing students with such a memorable cultural learning opportunity, a perfect blend of education and Holiday Cheer!