The vision of Purnell Swett High School

is that our students have:

• A compliment of basic linguistic, mathematical, scientific, artistic, physical, and social skills

• An inquiring and discriminating mind and desire for knowledge

• A strong self-esteem and high personal expectation

• A safe, secure and disciplined environment; and

• Knowledge, skills and core values necessary to achieve personal success and to enrich the community in which they live.

School And Community

Purnell Swett High School opened in the fall of 1983 as West Robeson High School. Those who learn and teach inside its spacious modern buildings are still developing an identity, a sense of cohesion and oneness, a feeling of being one. The history of the school is brief; it is not one community but the educational apex of three. Purnell Swett High School has taken the best from former high schools of Maxton, Pembroke, and Prospect and returned to each place a measure of pride in what can be accomplished together. In this larger sense, Purnell Swett High School has a long and varied history with roots in three communities.

Purnell Swett High School will continue to play a major role in the education and total life of the rapidly changing community. The principals, both past and present, have accepted the tremendous challenges presented in both the organization and on-going development of the second largest high school in Robeson County. The faculty and staff members have worked in a concerted effort to bring about the best in preparation for the total growth of the students.