[4] The school faced difficulties early in its history because it is located in a remote, rural area[4] and there were no cities or towns included within its boundaries.

[4] Dayton Merrell, who graduated from the school in 1955 and has continued to live in the area ever since, remarked in an interview in 2017, "Sixty-eight years ago, that was a big deal... We had nothing but cornfields.

[3] The addition was controversial at the time,[3] but the superintendent Ryan Snoddy affirmed in 2017 that he still thought it was the best decision.

[6][7] At the time, school officials expected that the windmill would probably result in around seven million dollars worth in energy savings over the course of its projected twenty-five-year lifespan.

[10][11][12] In January 2018, Northwestern High School's State Competition Cast, Troupe 3924, earned highest distinction at the Indiana Thespian State Conference with their show Waylen[13][14] and was selected as the Indiana Thespiana Chapter Select to compete at the International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska in June of that year.