News & Events

Demolition of the fire-impacted facilities at Highland High School began earlier than expected this morning due to an emergency approval granted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EFP). The demolition was originally scheduled to begin on Wednesday, August 2. The area has been secured and the demolition is being led by Paul Davis Restoration. To ensure that this process can be conducted expeditiously and safely, PCSD 25 officials ask that community members avoid the area. 

Dr. Douglas Howell said, "Beginning the demolition ahead of schedule is a great start to getting Highland prepared to welcome learners and staff back to school. We are grateful to all who played a role in initiating the process earlier than we anticipated."

Qai Gerber (Century High School) and Payton Carter (Highland High School) won the two Idaho nominations for the Jimmy Awards in New York City. Sponsored and fully funded by The Broadway League, both students were flown to NYC for 9 days where they worked closely with Broadway professionals on the Juilliard campus in all three areas of acting, singing, and choreography. Out of 140,000 students across the country who auditioned for this program, Qai and Payton were among the 96 students who were chosen to participate. The 9-day program culminated with the actual Jimmy Awards ceremony hosted by Corbin Bleu this past Monday evening. Qai and Payton and the other 94 students performed musical numbers at the ceremony to a sold-out audience, which included several Broadway producers, at the Minskoff Theatre, home of Broadway's The Lion King. It's an incredible honor to be chosen for this program, and we couldn't be prouder of these two Pocatello theatre students!

Payton Carter, a Junior at Highland High School, and Qai Gerber, a Senior at Century High School, made it to the final round, top 8 in the state, of auditions for the Idaho High School Theatre Awards. The top two students will be announced on June 9th and will get a paid trip to the Juilliard Campus in New York. There they will get to work with industry professionals for a week, with the top two students from every other regional program in the country. At the end of that week they will get to perform at the national theatre awards ceremony, the Jimmy Awards. Congratulations Payton and Qai.

Highland Esports is headed to the Idaho High School Esports Association (IHSEA) state championship tournament hosted by Boise State at the BSU Esports Arena this Friday and Saturday (May 12-13th). Highland's Rocket League, Valorant, and Smash Bros. teams worked hard and qualified for the state championship tournament. We would like to send a special thanks to our Technology department who has helped provide us with equipment to compete as well as helping get our equipment moved over the PV-TEC building after the fire at Highland that allowed us to still compete in our district tournament and qualify for state. We would also like to send a special thanks to Bryan Venegas and the Idaho National Guard for helping provide our team members with official jerseys.  

We host our regular season matches and will be hosting tournament matches on our Twitch and Youtube channels.

Boise State will be hosting the state championship tournament on their Twitch channel.

Highland High Schools AP Bio class previously had a field trip planned for the four-year-old class at Mother Goose Preschool. Despite the losses suffered at Highland they were able to retrieve their giant whale and have the four-year-olds join them at PV-TEC. They learned all about marine wildlife, the ecosystem, and the inner workings of a giant whale. "To watch our BIG kids interact with the little kids was precious!" Jena Wilcox, Assistant Principal, HHS.

VIsit the Rampage for more student news and information.

Congratulations to Highland Graduates Yiping Xu, Corinne Anderson, Briley Anderson, Cosette Wood(not pictured), Jordan Mayo, and Josiah Parrish(not pictured)! These students have been accepted into the honors program at Idaho State University. We are proud of the hard work of these students and we celebrate with them in their academic success. We are also grateful to Idaho State University for giving our Highland students the opportunity to continue to grow academically and pursue their post-graduation goals. 

September 5, 2023

POCATELLO, ID – At today’s special board meeting, the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25’s Board of Trustees provided district administration and the architect/construction management team with direction to finalize the scope of the bond projects, including the projected $45 million cost of the bond request. The bond projects will include renovating Highland High School on the existing site with significant enhancements. The bond will also include adding substantial enhancements to the gym facility at Century High School. Working together with bond counsel, the district will prepare the formal bond resolution language that will appear on the ballot for the General Election held on November 7. The September 12 work session agenda will include the resolution for board action. Once the board adopts the resolution, the district will work with the architect and construction management team to prepare educational materials about the bond for release to the public on or before the week of September 25. For community members interested in the latest discussions, board meetings may be live streamed or replayed at https://www.youtube.com/@SchoolDistrict025/streams

WHAT IS A BOND? Bonds for school projects are very similar to a mortgage on a home. Issuing debt in bonds is a way that school districts can obtain the resources necessary for large and extensive capital improvements such as new school construction, renovations, and purchasing property for future schools. Just like other borrowers, school districts borrow money and make payments—usually semiannual payments. Bonds help supplement state and federal dollars with property taxes. General obligation bonds are authorized by voters through a bond election and require a supermajority to pass (66.67%). 

WHAT DO BONDS PAY FOR? Bonds pay for major capital improvements, like building a new school or renovating/remodeling an old building. PCSD 25’s most recent bond was voter-approved in 1997 to help fund the construction of Century High School and the new gym at Pocatello High School. 

WHEN WILL THE ELECTION BE HELD? The bond measure will appear on the ballot on Tuesday, November 7, 2023.

Since a fire partially destroyed Highland High School on April 21, the district has been working diligently to meet the goal to return learners and staff home to Highland High School with a traditional schedule for the new school year. The fire was ruled accidental and is a covered loss by the district’s insurance carrier. Highland staff and learners returned to the school to kick off the 2023-2024 school year on Wednesday, August 23.
 

At tonight’s regular board meeting, the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25’s Board of Trustees took action to approve a motion to adopt the District Facilities Bond Option A, which includes renovating Highland High School on the existing site with significant enhancements. The bond would also include adding an improved gym facility at Century High School. The motion passed in a 3-2 vote.

The next steps include meeting with the design and construction team and consulting with bond counsel to finalize the bond language and terms. That information is forthcoming and will be released upon finalization.

More information about Scenario A can be located in this Future Planning document located on the district’s website.

WHAT IS A BOND? Bonds for school projects are very similar to a mortgage on a home. Issuing debt in bonds is a way that school districts can obtain the resources necessary for large and expensive capital improvements such as new school construction, renovations, and purchasing property for future schools. Just like other borrowers, school districts borrow money and make payments—usually annually. Bonds help supplement state and federal dollars with property taxes. General obligation bonds are authorized by voters through a bond election and require a supermajority to pass (66.67%).

WHAT DO BONDS PAY FOR? Bonds pay for major capital improvements, like building a new school or renovating/remodeling an old building. PCSD 25’s most recent bond was voter-approved in 1997 to help fund the construction of Century High School and the new gym at Pocatello High School.

WHEN WILL AN ELECTION BE HELD? The bond measure will potentially be on the ballot on: Tuesday, November 7, 2023.

Since a fire partially destroyed Highland High School on April 21, the district has been working diligently to meet the goal to return learners and staff home to Highland High School with a traditional schedule for the new school year. The fire was ruled accidental and is a covered loss by the district’s insurance carrier. Highland staff and learners will return to the school to kick off the 2023-2024 school year on Wednesday, August 23.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Updated August 9, 2023

The Board of Trustees is in the process of weighing options to address future plans for Highland High School and other critical needs across the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25. This document lists Frequently Asked Questions regarding the Future Planning document published in advance of the Public Forum meeting held on Tuesday, August 8. The FAQs will be updated as the Board of Trustees finalizes any potential bond proposal with additional details.

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DOES THE ESTIMATED BOND FOR SCENARIO B INCLUDE THE COST TO PURCHASE PROPERTY?

No, the estimated bond for Scenario B does not include the cost to purchase property. No property has been purchased to date for this purpose.

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WHERE WOULD THE DISTRICT CONSIDER PUTTING A NEW HIGH SCHOOL?

If the final proposal includes building a new high school, the district will work to locate and purchase a minimum of sixty acres able to reasonably accommodate a new high school.

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WHY IS THE BOARD INCLUDING CHS GYM IN THE BOND? WOULD THE CHS GYM PROJECT BE A NEW BUILD, OR A RENOVATION?

Addressing the size of the Century High School gym has been a discussion topic throughout the CIP process over the past several years. The cost to address this would require a bond or setting money aside for the next 10-15 years. The goal is to build a larger gym facility at Century High School that can accommodate the entire student body. Currently, Century must limit attendance at some events, and wrestling must use a small room initially intended for dance. A larger gym facility would also open up the ability to host certain state championship tournaments and other community events.  Preliminary discussions with the architect and general contractor indicate a new gym attached to the existing building would be more cost effective.

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WILL TWO OPTIONS BE INCLUDED ON THE BALLOT, OR JUST ONE?

The Board will finalize one proposal to include on the November 7 ballot.

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WHAT IS THE BOND EQUALIZATION PROGRAM?

In 2002 the State Legislature passed the Bond Levy Equalization Support Program (Idaho Statute 33-906) that established a formula by which a school district that passes a bond qualifies for partial funding from the State. School districts are assigned a value index based on the district’s market value, average annual unemployment rate, and per capita income in the county. School districts with a value index below “1” are eligible to receive state financial assistance to pay annual bond interest and bond payments.

The amount of state funding available to school districts through the Bond Levy Equalization Support Program varies each year, depending on the amount of money allocated to the program by the State Legislature and school district student enrollment.

The current bond equalization rate for PCSD 25 was 27.28% for FY2023. The bond equalization rate for FY2022 was 22.61%. The ten year average for PCSD 25 is 21.31%.

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HOW WILL THE FINAL BOND PROPOSAL BE COMMUNICATED TO THE PUBLIC?

The deadline to submit the final bond resolution to Bannock County to appear on the November 7 General Election ballot on or before Monday, September 18. At that time, the district will initiate its bond election communications plan to educate the public about the bond proposal. In accordance with state law, the district is prohibited from advocating for the bond and may utilize public funds only to inform and educate about the contents of the proposal.

The district will employ both internal and external communication channels to educate the community about the bond proposal, including Infinite Campus, website, social media, reader boards, newsletters, school and community presentations, media, digital advertising, etc.

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WHAT HAPPENS IF THE BOND PROPOSAL FAILS TO REACH 66.7% OF THE VOTE ON NOVEMBER 7?

If the bond proposal fails on November 7, the Board of Trustees has the option to reconvene and adopt a new bond proposal to run in May 2024 or move forward with rebuilding Highland with the insurance settlement funds only.

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ARE CLASSROOMS AT HIGHLAND BEING REPAIRED?

The restoration process included the inspection, cleaning, repairing, and upgrading facilities at Highland High School.

 

WHAT ARE THE PLANS FOR HIGHLAND TO START THE SCHOOL YEAR?

The first day of school is Monday, August 23. Plans are on schedule to return to school at Highland High School for the 2023-2024 school year.

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WHERE WILL BAND, ORCHESTRA, AND CHOIR CLASSES BE HELD?

Working together with Highland’s administration, the district has finalized plans for all displaced instructional, co-curricular, and extracurricular programs that will need to be temporarily relocated in alternate facilities. Please see the most recent update for more details (Plans on schedule to welcome learners back to Highland High School and other SD25 schools August 23).

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WHERE WILL ANY DISPLACED ATHLETICS AND ACTIVITIES BE HELD?

Working together with Highland’s administration, the district has finalized plans for all displaced instructional, co-curricular, and extracurricular programs that will need to be temporarily relocated in alternate facilities. Please see the most recent update for more details (Plans on schedule to welcome learners back to Highland High School and other SD25 schools August 23).

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HOW DO COMMUNITY MEMBERS SUBMIT COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS TO THE BOARD?

Community members may email feedback or concerns to the Board to feedback@sd25.us

 

This document will be updated with additional FAQs as more details become available.

See the restoration progress at Highland High School

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Dear PCSD 25 families and staff:

Plans are on schedule to return to school at Highland High School for the 2023-2024 school year. School begins for all PCSD 25 schools on Wednesday, August 23. Since a fire partially destroyed Highland High School on April 21, the district has been working diligently to meet the goal to return learners and staff home to Highland High School with a traditional schedule for the new school year. 

The fire was ruled accidental and is a covered loss by the district’s insurance carrier.

All classroom and instructional spaces that were not impacted by the fire are intact, clean, and ready to welcome learners and staff. The district has completed work to restore all major utilities to the site, including power, water, and gas. The evaluation phase of the insurance investigation is also completed and demolition of the impacted areas is scheduled to begin on August 2. The demolition site will be fully secured to prioritize the safety of learners and staff and any unauthorized access is prohibited. The district will also complete environmental quality inspections prior to returning learners and staff to the building.

Working together with Highland’s administration, the district has finalized plans for all displaced instructional, co-curricular, and extracurricular programs that will need to be temporarily relocated in alternate facilities, which include:

Highland High School Commons Area

• Breakfast and lunch food service 

Calvary Chapel Church (1633 Olympus Drive)

• Band
• Choir
• Dance
• Orchestra

Vacated Princeton LDS Church Building (42 Princeton Avenue)

• Cheer
• Wrestling
• Storage

Gateway Learning Center (located behind Highland High School near the Highland municipal golf course)

• Weight room
• Select PE/activity classes
• Food service preparation

Idaho State University, College of Technology

• Welding

Bannock County Fairgrounds South Parking Lot (Adjacent to stadium)

• Temporary parking solution

Highland High School Small Gym

• Anticipated to be completed early fall 2023

Plans also include the use of the Mountain View Event Center and other district gyms to accommodate extracurricular activities, including games and practices, for volleyball, boys and girls basketball, and other needs.

The generosity of the community has ranged from waiving or reducing rental fees and graciously sharing school facilities to instrument donations and financial contributions. One local church even paused the sale of its building to benefit the Highland school community.

“The community’s support has been tremendous as we work to return Highland High School learners and staff back home with as little disruption and inconvenience as possible,” said Dr. Douglas Howell, Superintendent. “We’ve seen the community live the district’s motto to Be MORE TOGETHER in a way that will have a profound and lasting impact.”

The district is also excited to welcome learners to the first day of classes held at the new Portneuf Valley Technical Education and Career Campus. PV-TEC is located at the former Allstate building located at 4200 Hawthorne Road. PV-TEC will host classes for the following programs: Business Applications; Animal Science Vet Tech; Law; Certified Nurse Assistant; and Business, Computer and Cybersecurity.

Middle school and high school schedule pick-up is scheduled on August 9 and 10 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Learners may attend schedule pick-up at their regular school locations. PV-TEC will host Highland’s schedule pick-up.

Highland High School will host a back-to-school night on Monday, August 21 at 7:00 p.m. Families are encouraged to attend the event with their learner(s).

For more back-to-school information, please visit sd25.us/backtoschool.

See the HHS restoration progress: https://youtu.be/-O_W5r9wSiA or bookmark https://highland.sd25.us/connect/fire-updates for the most current updates on Highland High School.

Sincerely,

Dr. Douglas Howell
Superintendent
 

When is the first day of school for the 2023/2024 school year?

• Wednesday, August 23, 2023

When is the last day of school for the 2023/2024 school year?

• Thursday, May 30, 2024

Will meals be provided free of charge to all learners during the 2023-2024 school year?

No. The USDA has suspended the waiver that provided free meals to all learners during the pandemic. Free and reduced meals will continue to be provided for those learners who qualify during the 2023-2024 school year. To qualify for free and reduced meals, parents and guardians are encouraged to fill out the free and reduced meal application after July 1, 2023. Refer to our Food Services website for more information.

How do I apply for my child to receive free and reduced meals?

• Online Application Instructions

When is graduation for the Class of 2024?

• New Horizon High School: Thursday, May 30, 2024
• Highland High School: Friday, May 31, 2024
• Century High School: Friday, May 31, 2024
• Pocatello High School: Friday, May 31, 2024

When do I find out about transfers?

• The elementary transfer meeting is Thursday, August 10, 2023.
• Secondary schools transfers are notified within 60 days of submission of the application.

How do I transfer my learner?

• Elementary Transfer Form

• High School/Middle School Transfer Application

When is Registration?

• Students who are new to PCSD 25: Register online by completing the Online Registration. After completing the registration online, call your neighborhood school after August 1 to confirm.

When is schedule pick-up for middle school and high school learners?

• August 9 and 10, 2023
  • 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
  • 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Where is my Bus Stop?

• Elementary Boundaries
• Middle School Boundaries
• High School Boundaries

What time does my child’s school start? What time does my child’s school dismiss?

• Start and Dismissal Times for Schools

What school supplies will my child need this year?

• Elementary School Supplies
• Middle School Supplies
• High School Supplies are listed on the course syllabus

Where is the 2023-2024 school calendar located?

• 2023-2024 School District 25 Calendar

What are the upcoming school closure dates? (No School)

• ALL Grades: Monday, September 4, 2023 - Labor Day
• Grades K-5: Thursday & Friday, October 5 & 6, 2023 - Parent Teachers Conferences
• Grades 6-12: School will be in session Thursday, October 5. Closed Friday, October 6, 2023 - Parent Teacher Conferences
• ALL Grades: Tuesday, November 7, 2023 - Election Day
• ALL Grades: Friday, November 17, 2023 - End of Trimester/Record Day
• ALL Grades: Monday - Friday, November 20 - 24, 2023 - Thanksgiving Break
• ALL Grades: Monday - Monday, December 18 - January 1, 2024 - Winter Break. School resumes Tuesday, January 2, 2024.
• ALL Grades: Monday, January 15, 2024 - Idaho Human Rights Day
• ALL Grades: Friday, February 2, 2024 - Parent Teacher Conference Grades K-8
• ALL Grades: Monday, February 19, 2024 - President's Day
• ALL Grades: Friday, March 1, 2024 - End of Trimester/Record Day
• ALL Grades: Monday - Friday, March 18-22, 2024 - Spring Break
• ALL Grades: Monday, May 27, 2024 - Memorial Day
• ALL Grades: Wednesday, May 30, 2024 - Last Day of School

What is the best way to monitor my child’s progress during the school year?

• Parent engagement has a direct correlation to student success. PCSD 25 parents can log into the Campus Parent Portal and stay engaged with information at-your-fingertips throughout the school year. Parent favorites include:
  • Access to student grades 
  • Review attendance and absences 
  • Monitor assignments due or upcoming exams 
  • Notifications for School/District Announcements 
  • Lunchroom information 
• To download the Campus Parent Portal app on your mobile phone. Visit the App or Play Store on your mobile device and search for “campus parent portal.” If you need login information, please contact the Help Desk: (208) 235-3219.