The current Bolton High School campus exists on the former Hoboken Plantation, owned by Wade H. Bolton. Bolton, who earned much of his fortune as an owner of one of the largest slave trading firms in the South, set aside for the founding of an agricultural college prior to his murder in 1869. Bolton operated as an agricultural college and teacher's preparatory school from 1887 to 1911, when it became part of the Shelby County School system. By 1925, Bolton had been designated as a secondary school and has remained a part of the Shelby County school system ever since. Today, BHS serves over 2,000 students from Bartlett, Arlington, Lakeland, Millington and other unincorporated parts of Memphis.
Curriculum and activities
At Bolton High School, there is a wide variety of classes, athletics, extracurricular clubs, and other programs to be involved in. Bolton is one of only a few schools in the area with multiple vocational classes, as well as several different types of advanced classes. Bolton offers over fifty different extracurricular activities, including sports, musical programs, volunteer clubs, and more.
Academics
At Bolton High School, students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement coursework and exams, including subjects such as English, math, and history, which can give a student college credit, depending on the score of the final exam in the class. The APparticipation rate at Bolton High School is around nineteen percent. Dual Enrollment classes, which can give students college credit through maintaining a passing grade, are also offered. However, there are currently only English and math Dual Enrollment classes. Bolton also offers a number of honors classes. Bolton High School has become an International Baccalaureate World School. The IB program began in the fall of 2011. Participating students from the Class of 2013 were the first in Bolton history to graduate with an International Baccalaureate Diploma. Bolton High School is one of two Shelby County Schools to be accepted as an International Baccalaureate school. In October 2013, members of the IB program organized a program called Links of Luv, which was a fundraiser for Habitat for Hope. Links of Luv was a competitive fundraiser between Bolton High School and Arlington High School to see who could raise the most money. During the Bolton/Arlington football game, students from both schools held paper chain links to display how much money each school raised. Bolton won with $7,250.85. Both schools together raised nearly eleven thousand dollars for Habitat for Hope.
Athletics
Bolton has sixteen sports teams, including basketball, golf, football, tennis, ultimate frisbee, cheer, baseball, softball, bowling, soccer, swimming, trap, volleyball, wrestling, cross country, and track and field. Bolton won six state championships in boys basketball in the years 1975, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1985, and 1989. Within recent years, Bolton High School has won a number of awards in a variety of sports, including track and field, cross country, tennis, basketball, and golf.
