Orange County High School, established in 1963, serves just over 1200 students from the area around Hillsborough, NC. Our students represent a cross-section of the county's population, and our mission is to give our students many options of study as they progress through their schooling here.

One of two high schools in the Orange County Schools, the Mighty Panthers uphold a long tradition of excellence in many diverse areas. Orange High School serves 1,273 students who reside in the town of Hillsborough, NC, as well as several surrounding communities in northern Orange County. Orange High School is a comprehensive 9-12 school offering a full complement of academic, co-curricular, career and technical (vocational), and extra-curricular opportunities with a student-teacher ratio of 16.5:1.

As in all North Carolina public schools, OHS students design, with input from teachers and Guidance counselors, a four-year education plan prior to entry into high school; pupils then enroll in college/university preparatory, college technical preparatory, or career preparatory programs and pursue study in one of the following career pathways:

Students have the opportunity to take both required and elective courses from the following departments and programs:

In addition to various other electives (Library Science, for example) not associated with any of the previously designated programs or departments, highly motivated and self-directed students have the opportunity to enroll in a host of advanced level courses, including classes allowing for college credit.

Orange High uses a block schedule consisting of four 90-minute periods; most classes are on a semester basis with some running year-long.

Orange High maintains a faculty of 61 fully licensed classroom teachers, one principal, two associate principals, four school counselors, one career development coordinator, one media specialist, one instructional technology resource teacher (ITRT), one AIG Resource Teacher (20 percent), one social worker (40 percent), one school psychologist (40 percent), and one school nurse. Nine members of the teaching faculty are National Board Certified Teachers, and 32 (over 50 percent) hold master degrees. Seventy-six percent of the classroom teachers have ten or more years of experience; five percent have zero to three years of experience. One hundred percent of the school's faculty is "highly qualified." The turnover rate for faculty is six per cent per year.

You may download a copy of our 2000-2005 Self-Study Report for the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (large Word document available HERE).
You may prefer to see only the Profile section of that document, available HERE.
Various statistics of interest are available HERE.

Also, we are required by Federal Law to maintain an Asbestos Hazard Management Plan under the Hazard Emergency Response Act. The Plan is housed in the office for your inspection and information. The plan will show that there is No Friable/Dangerous Asbestos in the building

Orange High School
500 Orange High School Rd.
Hillsborough, NC 27278

Phone:  (919) 732-6133
Fax:      (919) 644-7699

See also Orange County's site
for directions to all schools

At Orange High School students can prepare for higher education and for a broad range of careers. They have access to modern technology and a caring, supportive staff. Students also can participate in a wide range of sports and other extracurricular activities. In short, our students have all the options and advantages they need to make the most of their high school education. Better still, they have the benefit of pursuing their schooling in a peaceful and historic setting in Hillsborough, NC. This town, on the banks of the Eno River, is close to North Carolina's Research Triangle Park and several universities, among them Duke University, North Carolina Central University, North Carolina State University, and the University of North Carolina.