Chickasha High School


Chickasha High School is located in Chickasha, Oklahoma, United States. For the 2012–2013 school year, the school had an enrollment of 684 with 48 teachers.

History

Chickasha Public Schools were established in the 1890s. In his book, Chickasha...A Journey Back in Time, Irvin Munn quotes Mrs. Joe Dews as reporting that school in Chickasha was held in a store on Main Street with Eugene Hamilton, a lawyer, as teacher. Munn later says the first graduating class was in 1903. It consisted of two members, Lousie Murphy and W. P. Latting. Mr. W. A. Delzell was the first superintendent of schools in Chickasha, and after the town was classified as a First Class City in 1901, four brick school buildings were built. The high school building was completed in 1909.
Lincoln School was established in 1941, consolidating with Chickasha High School in 1959. Lincoln School remained an elementary school with grades 1-9 until 1965. St. Joseph's Academy, associated with the Catholic Church, closed in 1967. With that closure, Chickasha High School became the only public or private high school in the city limits. In her book, Trails, Rails, and School Tales, author Gwen Jackson quotes two sources that Chickasha was "one of the leading school systems in Oklahoma."
Chickasha High School has primarily occupied two locations: 1000 South 9th Street where the current Middle School is located and, in 1968, the current site of Chickasha High School was established, 101 N. John P. Cowan Ave formerly known as Borden Park. Grades 9 through 12 are currently housed at this location. After several unsuccessful attempts to pass bond issues, in 2003, the Chickasha High School Activity Center was completed. It houses the Basketball Arena which contains the Harly Day Basketball Court and the Chickasha High School Auditorium. In 2007, the High School itself was renovated to its current structure. The Stage Building was converted to a Freshman Center.
In 2013, Advanced-Ed, formerly known as North Central Accreditation, awarded Chickasha High School with 100 years of continuous accreditation.

Programs

As well as the traditional curriculum options, Chickasha High School has an associated alternative education program, Quality Academy, which was housed off campus at the former Southwest Elementary School. It is currently on the main campus. CHS also has an educational farm.

Awards and recognition