Niles McKinley High School

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Niles McKinley High School
Location
616 Dragon Drive

Niles
,
Ohio
44446

United States
41°11′16″N 80°45′39″W / 41.187683°N 80.760933°W / 41.187683; -80.760933
Information
TypePublic
Established1871
School district
Niles City School District
NCES School ID
390444901412[1]
Principal
Stephen Rovnak
Teaching staff
35.77 (on FTE basis)[1]
Grades9-12
Enrollment530 (2024–25)[1]
Student to teacher ratio
14.82[1]
ColorsRed and blue    
Team nameRed Dragons
Websitewww.nilescityschools.org/nilesmckinleyhighschool_home.aspx

Niles McKinley High School is a public high school in Niles, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Niles City School District. Athletic teams are known as the Red Dragons, and they compete as a member of the Ohio High School Athletic Association in the Northeast 8 Athletic Conference.

History

In 1871, Niles built a three-story building constructed on Main Street, which became Niles first centralized high school.[2] A separate high school building was built heading into the early 20th century, later being named McKinley High School to honor the 25th United States President William McKinley, who was a native of Niles.[3]

Following World War II, enrollment grew within the school district, leading to the Niles Board of Education to propose a bond issue to construct a modern secondary school. Voters approved of the bond issue in 1953. Construction of the new high school began in 1956 on Dragon Drive; the new facility was designed to accommodate roughly 750 students and included a new gymnasium. Niles McKinley High School was formally dedicated in October 1957.[4]

The previous high school building was converted into Edison Junior High School in 1958, the former structure served the district for several decades, until its demolition in 2004, and was replaced by senior housing.[5]

Athletics

Associated Press poll championships

Facilities

Bo Rein Memorial Stadium

Bo Rein Stadium, located adjacent from the high school is a high school football stadium, which hosts the Niles McKinley Red Dragons high school football and soccer teams, and dependent on weather, the high school's baseball and softball teams. The stadium, built in 1933 under the United States WPA program[7]was originally named Riverside Stadium, but later renamed to honor Bo Rein, an alumnus of McKinley High School and successful college football coach in 1981.[8] The stadium features an electronic scoreboard, press boxes on the home and away stands, as well as an artificial turf that features the schools name and mascot in both sides of the endzones along with an "N" in the center of the field, which is named Eastwood Mall Field. The stadium is built to seat 9,718 individuals.[9]

Notable alumni

References

  1. "Search for Public Schools - McKinley High School (390444901412)". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  2. "History of Schools in Niles, Ohio". nileshistoricalsociety.org. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  3. "Prominent Past Citizens – City of Niles". thecityofniles.com. Archived from the original on February 16, 2026. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  4. "Niles High School". nileshistoricalsociety.org. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  5. "Niles McKinley High School". nileshistoricalsociety.org. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  6. "All-Time Association Press Poll Champions" (PDF).
  7. "Bo Rein Stadium Project" (PDF). nilescityschools.org. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  8. "SEC Network to Air Documentary on Bo Rein". NC State University Athletics. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  9. "Bo Rein Memorial Stadium - Niles, Ohio". ohiostadiums.com. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  10. "Mike Defensor - LinkedIn".
  11. "John Michael Hlay Obituary - The Columbus Dispatch". dispatch.com. February 16, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  12. mckensied (April 19, 2022). "Faculty Spotlight: Benjamin Neuman". Texas A&M Biology. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  13. Wallace, William N. (December 11, 1997). "Keith Piper, 76, Football Coach Who Restored the Single Wing". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  14. "Bo Rein". nileshistoricalsociety.org. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  15. "Herb Stein (1967) - Hall of Fame". National Football Foundation. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  16. "Briefs". tribtoday.com. Retrieved June 14, 2026.