McCracken County High School

McCracken County High School
Address
Map
6530 New Highway 60 West

Paducah
,
Kentucky
42001
Coordinates37°04′03″N 88°44′05″W / 37.067592°N 88.734808°W / 37.067592; -88.734808
Information
School typePublic
Founded2013
School districtMcCracken County Public Schools
SuperintendentJosh Hunt
PrincipalJonathan Smith
Faculty106.60 FTEs[1]
Grades9–12
Enrollment1,999 (2022–2023)[1]
Student to teacher ratio18.75[1]
CampusSuburban
Color(s)Crimson, black and white
      [2]
MascotMustangs
NicknameMustangs[2]
Feeder schoolsHeath Middle School
Lone Oak Middle School
Reidland Middle School
WebsiteSchool website

McCracken County High School is a public secondary school (grades 9–12) located west of Paducah, Kentucky that opened on August 9, 2013.[3] Operated by the McCracken County Public Schools district, it consolidates that district's three former high schools—Heath, Lone Oak, and Reidland. Before ground was broken for the new school in June 2010,[3] the school's nickname of Mustangs[4] and colors of crimson, black, and white[5] had been finalized. The school opened with an enrollment of slightly under 1,900.[3]

Consolidation plans began taking shape in the mid-2000s due to signs of overcrowding at some of the existing high schools. Residents of the county school district (the Paducah school district, which includes most of the city's population, did not participate in the consolidation) voted in November 2008 to approve the new high school.[6] The original opening date for the school was August 2012, but it was delayed because all of the bids for construction came in above the originally planned budget.[3]

The school was originally (2013-2024) organized into a house system, a common feature at schools in many Commonwealth countries but rare in the U.S. Each student was assigned to one of five houses, each with its own principal, guidance counselor, and teachers. Most core courses were taught in the student's own house; electives could be taught in any part of the building.[7] Now (24-25 onward) it uses the traditional American high school system of counselors assigned to grades, and the former houses are now organized by subject (ex. House 5 is "freshman academy" where all freshman core classes are housed). "New Counselor Details". McCracken County High School. Retrieved December 13, 2024.

As of the 2021–22 school year, the school had an enrollment of 2,030 students and 113 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 18:1. There were 815 students (37% of enrollment) eligible for free lunch and 67 (3% of students) eligible for reduced-cost lunch.[1]

Athletics

  • Boys Bowling: 2021 State Champions[8]
  • Girls Tennis: 2015,[9] 2016,[10] 2017[11] State Champions
  • Softball: 2015[12] State Champions
  • Coed Cheer: 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 State Champions; 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023 UCA Medium Varsity Coed National Champions; 2021 UCA Large Varsity Coed National Champions
  • Dance team: 2019 State Champions

References

  1. ^ a b c d "McCracken County High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "McCracken County High School". Kentucky High School Athletic Association. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
  3. ^ a b c d Hollowed, Marissa (August 9, 2013). "McCracken County High School opens doors to students". Paducah, KY: WPSD-TV. Archived from the original on September 16, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  4. ^ Roxas, Gabriel (December 17, 2009). "McCracken School Board chooses school design and mascot". Paducah, KY: WPSD-TV. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  5. ^ Atchison, Todd (February 19, 2010). "New high school has new colors". Paducah, KY: WPSD-TV. Archived from the original on January 2, 2014. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  6. ^ Millweard, Christy (June 19, 2012). "McCracken County High School shows progress". Cape Girardeau, MO: KFVS-TV. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  7. ^ "About MCHS". McCracken County High School. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  8. ^ "Kentucky High School Athletic Association".
  9. ^ http://khsaa.org/tennis/2015/girlsteamresults.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  10. ^ http://khsaa.org/tennis/2016/girlsteamresults.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  11. ^ "Kentucky High School Athletic Association".
  12. ^ http://khsaa.org/fastpitchsoftball/2015/2015statefastpitchbracket.pdf [bare URL PDF]

Further reading


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