Our History

Northrop High School is named for Milton H. Northrop, the first principal of North Side High School, serving from 1927 to 1953. Prior to opening North Side, he served as the head of the business department at Central High School for 11 years. He began his 37-year career in education at Kendallville High School. He was known as "Pop" or "Dad" and urged students to discover that good citizenship and conscientious effort toward scholarship were the best guides to success.

Northrop offers Project Lead the Way - Engineering (PLTW) as its Program of Study. PLTW is a dynamic high school engineering program that provides real-world learning and hands-on experience to students interested in engineering, biomechanics, aeronautics and other applied math and science fields. PLTW courses use project-based and problem-based learning, creating an environment for applying engineering concepts to real problems. To learn more about the program, visit Project Lead The Way.

Northrop also offers four years of French, German and Spanish. The school has an award winning marching band, show choir and speech team, among other extracurricular and fine art activities. Advanced Placement and dual credit courses with Purdue-Fort Wayne are available for juniors and seniors, and future teachers can participate in the Teaching Academy, a two-year program that gives students hands-on opportunities to explore teaching as a career. The school was built in 1971. Students who attend Northrop come from Shawnee and Jefferson middle schools. The school is located in the Board of School Trustees District 1.