It covers over 100 square miles (260 km2) of mostly farmland within Jackson and White River townships.
[1] The school system came to national prominence in 1987 when Ryan White, a hemophiliac who contracted AIDS via a blood transfusion, enrolled as a student.
In contrast to his previous school, Western School Corporation in Kokomo, Indiana, which had attempted to segregate him from the student population, Hamilton Heights welcomed Ryan and prepared its students with AIDS education courses.
The school was praised for its openness and courage, drawing national news coverage.
[citation needed] When Ryan succumbed to his illness in 1990, many students attended his funeral.