"F" halls in the current building) until 1974 when the first Cameron Middle School opened on Elm St. The two high schools remained separate until 1991 when they were merged to create a unified school under the name Framingham High School. The two high schools were distinguished by their colors and mascots: North had the Spartans in yellow and green while South had the original town mascot Flyers in blue and white. When the time for the merger of the schools came, the district held an election to determine the fate of the colors and mascots. The winning combination was to be the Spartans in blue and white, however alumni of the original Framingham High raised a protest that the town should revert to the original mascot and colors which happened to be used by Framingham South. After discussion with the student body, it was agreed that the colors and mascot would revert to the original set. On a visit on October 20, 1994, President Bill Clinton signed the Improving America's Schools Act (IASA) in the school's John F. Kennedy gymnasium. Academics In the late 1990s, Framingham High School was labeled underperforming. Through multiple school reforms in the early and mid 2000s, Framingham High dramatically increased their MCAS (Massachusetts state graduation assessment) scores and the number of students taking Advanced Placement courses increased. In recent years, Framingham High has been labeled an "over-performing" school on standardized assessments, compared to other districts of similar student populations. In 2008, Framingham High was ranked by Newsweek in the top 500 high schools in the United States. Framingham High School has received press for its success with students in the English as a Second Language Program. Noting that 69 percent of Framingham students are considered proficient in English after three or more years and the school has higher graduation rates and MCAS scores than most other districts with large groups of English-learners. Only 17 percent of Framingham's English Language Learners drop out of school, half that of districts with similar demographics. Part of this successes is attributed to Framingham's use of a provision in the Massachusetts law by having parents waive their right to an all-English education. In Framingham, very few parents of high schoolers have chosen the English-only option. Framingham High School has a unique co-teaching program, where most teachers at the school co-teach a course with a colleague from the same discipline.