Taconic High School is a comprehensive high school located in the City of Pittsfield currently serving grades 9 – 12. The 1969 building has had no major building-wide renovations other than a roof replacement. It is one of the two public high schools in the City. Although both high schools currently offer Career Technical Education (CTE) programs, the majority of the programs are currently housed in the Taconic building.

Working with the MSBA, the new school is based on serving 920 students. That accounts for the approximately 750 currently attending the school, moving some of the vocational programs from Pittsfield High School to Taconic, and then an estimated 100 new tuition students.

The design features a gymnasium and auditorium that is smaller than the existing ones, but the science lab is larger. The clustering feature is designed to create “academies.” The classrooms tucked off the main hallway and surrounding a teacher’s area can be organized by grades or subjects.

The building is three-stories with the top two floors being for the academic classrooms and the vocational shops on the ground floor. The entrance to the building sits close to the current visitor’s parking lot and the main feature is large glass windows to allow more natural light.

Upon entering the building, a welcoming desk has line of sight down each of two long corridors – one corridor toward the gymnasium, auditorium and library and another to the vocational shops.

The vocational programs, which are Chapter 74 certified, include automotive technology; carpentry; electrical; facilities management; horticulture and landscaping; culinary arts; cosmetology; health and medical assisting; graphic communications; early childhood care; office technology; manufacturing/machine technology; engineering; and information support. The project was completed in 2018.