New Canaan High School
New Canaan High School is the only public high school in New Canaan, Connecticut. In 2017, it was ranked the best public high school in Connecticut, and one of the top 200 in the nation. New Canaan High School was ranked the 74th best STEM high school in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The school is a part of the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference, otherwise known as the FCIAC. The New Canaan Rams have won numerous state championships. New Canaan is known for its competitive football, lacrosse, ice hockey, and tennis teams. Its  football team holds 22 state championships and is consistently a top 10 team in the state. In 2016, its boys' lacrosse team was ranked 3rd in the nation. History. Construction on the current school building was finalized in 1971. The school is located on grounds donated by the Lapham family, carving off approximately 46 acres of Waveny Park. In 2007, the school completed a multi-year, $60+ million renovation. An additional $14 million was spent on asbestos abatement, a portion of which was reimbursed through the settlement of an asbestos-related lawsuit. In 2010, New Canaan High  School won the National Library of the Year award from the American Association of School Librarians. In August 2018, two lunch ladies from the school were arrested and accused of stealing about $500,000 from the cafeteria over a five-year period. The school received nationwide attention for the arrests. Athletics. New Canaan High School is part of the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference (FCIAC). School teams have won state championships in football, lacrosse, soccer, basketball, swimming, golf, tennis, track and field, and cross country. Football. The school's football team, dubbed the Rams, has been led to 12 State  Championships by coach Lou Marinelli, whose overall record at New Canaan is 321 wins, 96 losses, and 6 draws. Basketball. On January 10, 2019, one of the school's players, Ryan McAleer, made national headlines when he intercepted the ball from Stamford High midair with 0.9 seconds on the clock, then made a basket from half court, winning the game. Also in 2019, the team won the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) Division IV championship for the first time since 1962, defeating Granby Memorial High School 55–39. The boys' basketball team also earned CIAC class-level titles six times. Academics . Forbes Magazine rated the school's education quality a 91.57 out of 100 in 2011. 80% of seniors have taken at least one college level class. The average SAT score is a 1290, and the average composite ACT score is a 30. The AP Program at New Canaan High has a 93% AP Test pass rate, and won an award from the College Board in 2019 for increasing access to AP courses. Theater. The New Canaan High School theater program has earned Best Choreography in a Musical (2017, 2018), Outstanding Contemporary Musical (2018), Outstanding Contemporary Play (2016), Outstanding Running Crew  (2016), Best Classical Musical (2015), Best Musical (2014), Best Dancing (2013, 2014), Best Original Program Cover Design (2014), Best Sound Design (2014), Best Lighting Design (2013) and Best Props Design and Management (2013) at the High School HALO Awards.