The school began operation in 1975, serving the populations formerly served by separate high schools in Jacksboro and LaFollette. Initially it enrolled grades 10–12; grade 9 was added in the 1983–84 school year.[2]
On November 8, 2005, student Kenneth Bartley Jr. shot and killed assistant principal Ken Bruce and wounded two other school administrators after they confronted him about having a gun in the school.[3][4]