Pensacola High can be traced back to May 1, 1870, where a house on Seville Square was used as a
public school for boys and the intermediate classes were set up in a house on Intendencia Street. Mr. E. Macedonian was employed to teach the boy's public school and Miss Sallie Ditmas was hired to teach the intermediate classes. The intermediate classes were
actually held in a room at Ms. Ditmas' house. On June 1st, primary classes were established. Miss Adele Jordan was hired to teach the primary classes in a room rented from Mrs. McCullough, on the southwest corner of Intendencia Street and Reache's Way, now Deluna Street.
At the beginning, the school grew rapidly and in 1875, the School Board erected a two-story building on Wright Street. It was known as the Pensacola Academy. This building united the primary, intermediate, and high school under one roof. From November 1,1875 to July 1,1886, the school was taught in the
building on Wright Street. The Principal was Mr. John Wilmer and his assistants were Ms. Lillias Wolfe, Amanda Parker, and Mrs. E. J. Wilson. By 1886, the school had outgrown the building on Wright Street and a new building
had to be erected. This building, known as High School No.1, was located on the eastside of Lee Square and with its ten rooms, it provided ample accommodations. Ten grades were established and diplomas were presented to the pupils who completed the ten years of study. The first graduating class was in 1887, and composed of two young men: Albert Reed and J. Whiting Hyer. From 1887 to 1905, diplomas were also given to students that completed two years of high school coursework. The building housed grades 1-10 until 1905, when grades 11 and 12 were added as a result of legislation proposed by Escambia County's Senator Blount. In 1905, a four-year high school course was established in High School No.1 and it became known as Pensacola Senior High School. In May 1905, two students, Dudley Barrow and Nell Richards, formed the first graduating class of Pensacola High School.
In 1910, PHS classes met in an old Tabernacle, on Gregory Street, where the Walters and Hibberts
Funeral Home Now stands. J.H. Workman became the principal in 1920. In 1922 the school moved to, what was known as Pensacola Technical High School, located at 614 North Palafox Street, on Lee Square. Taxpayers put out $300,000 for the finest vocational high school in the south. In 1938, the
ninth grade was move to A.V. Clubbs and W.A. Blount Junior High Schools. This location was the Alma Mater for classes for 31 years, until classes moved to the current location.
The current Pensacola High School is currently located on "A" and Maxwell Street on 24 acres of land. The property for the high school complex was actually purchased in 1948 and the same year the stadium was built for the use of existing Escambia County High Schools. The building was built in 1952, for a cost of $823,000 to accommodate 1,850 pupils. It had been the intent of the school board to name this building E. Dixie Briggs High School, to honor a board member who had served from 1919-1931. Many former PHS graduates protested and petitioned the school board to retain the original name...and they did. The school has expanded greatly since then, with the addition of the auditorium in 1962, the Ruben O. D. Askew Library in 1974, the vocational wing in 1976 and the west in 2000.
On May 6, 1969, the old Pensacola High School building on Lee Square was destroyed by fire. Former students of PHS wanted a part of the old school to be left behind for future generation, so they built a Memorial Plaza, located between the cafeteria and the gym on PHS campus. They salvaged old bricks, porcelain, stair rails and other materials from the remains and constructed the plaza. The old Cornerstone (now empty) next to the gym (destroyed by Hurricane Ivan) contained copies of the Pensacola News Journal. A roll of the original faculty, and a copy of the state adopted a course of study during that day. All these items were donated to the Pensacola Historical Museum.
PHS is known for the International Baccalaureate Program (which ranks among the top school programs of its kind in the world), the Health Occupation Students of Americas (HOSA) honors program, the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Program and in 2007, the Law Academy was added to the curriculum.
In 2005, Newsweek published a list of the Top 100 High Schools in the U.S. (by ratio of number of IB and AP tests offered to each graduating senior). Pensacola High School ranked #8 in the country and #4 in Florida.
In 2006, Pensacola was ranked #38 in the country and #9 in Florida. In 2007, Pensacola again ranked in the top50 high schools, being ranked #38 in the country and #9 in Florida.
In 2008, Pensacola again ranked in the top50 high schools, being ranked #42
in the country and #9 in Florida. In 2007-2008 school year there are 1,567 students enrolled at Pensacola High.