The history of Kings Mountain High School can be traced back to 1905 when Kings Mountain Graded School was founded. At that time, Central School (seen below) encompassed all grade levels (1st- 11th). The original school was completed in 1910 and had a music room, office area, eight classrooms on the first floor, and four classrooms and an auditorium on the second floor.
The football program for Central School began in 1922. Below is a photo of one of the early Kings Mountain High School football teams. (It was taken in 1922).
On November 14, 1932, a fire devastated Central School, making it necessary to rebuild. It was replaced by the current two-story building (see picture below). The current structure is essentially the same today as it was after the rebuilding project.
A vote was held in 1960 to consolidate Kings Mountain, Bethware, and Grover schools. The vote was approved and the following year students attended the newly created school system. The name of this new system was Kings Mountain District Schools.
As a result of the 1960 merger, a new high school was planned to accommodate the larger number of students in the district.
In the fall of 1965, a brand new high school for the district opened its doors and Kings Mountain High School began to serve all the students in the merged district. Grades 9-12 were housed at the new building, while Central School held grades 7 and 8.
In November of 1974 a new Kings Mountain Junior High School opened (currently Kings Mountain Middle School) and consisted of grades 8 and 9. Kings Mountain High School dropped grade 9 and only contained grades 10-12. The name changed to Kings Mountain Senior High School. Grades 6 and 7 were held at Central School.
In 1990, Kings Mountain Junior High changed to Kings Mountain Middle School and consisted of grades 6, 7, and 8. The high school once again housed grades 9-12, and changed its name back to Kings Mountain High School. Central School closed as school and reopened as the District Office for Kings Mountain District Schools in the fall of 1994.
In 2004, Kings Mountain District Schools merged with Shelby City Schools and Cleveland County Schools to become a part of the newly formed Cleveland County School system.
Kings Mountain High School has a long and proud history. We look forward to an even brighter future!
Go MOUNTIES!
(A special thanks to Becky Scism for her assistance in creating this history)