Clinton High School (Clinton, Tennessee) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Clinton High School |
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Clinton High School Dragon
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| Address | |
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425 Dragon Dr
Clinton, Tennessee 37716
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| Coordinates | 36°05′40″N 84°08′40″W / 36.09448°N 84.14456°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Comprehensive Public High School |
| Established | 1903 |
| School district | Anderson County |
| Principal | Robbie Herrell |
| Teaching staff | 72.54 (FTE) |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 1,073 (2023-2024) |
| Student to teacher ratio | 14.79 |
| Campus type | Medium Town |
| Color(s) | and |
| Mascot | Dragon |
Clinton High School is a public high school in Clinton, Tennessee. It serves students from Clinton, Oliver Springs, and Claxton. The school is part of the Anderson County, Tennessee school system. In 2025, most students were white, with about 14 percent from other groups.
Contents
School History
Clinton High School has a long and interesting history. It started as Union Academy in 1806.
Early Years of Union Academy
- 1806 Union Academy was created for Anderson County.
- 1820s The Academy opened in a wooden building in Clinton.
- 1860s The building was destroyed by fire during the American Civil War.
- 1868 A new Union Academy was built. Today, Clinton Elementary School stands on this spot.
- 1895 The Clinton City School system took over the Academy. People started calling it Clinton High School.
- 1903 A new brick Clinton High School building was built.
Sports and Growth
- 1916–17 The first basketball teams were formed for both boys and girls.
- 1923–24 The first football team was started. They were called the Orange and Black “Tornadoes.”
- 1927 A new, bigger high school opened. It brought together students from several county schools. The school's mascot changed to “Dragons.”
- 1954 Clinton High School received its first official accreditation. This means it met high standards for education.
A Time of Change: Integration
- 1956 Clinton High School became integrated. This meant Black students could attend the school. This was a big change for the community.
- 1958 The school building was badly damaged by explosions.
- 1958–60 Students went to school in Oak Ridge while their school was rebuilt.
- 1960 Clinton High School reopened.
Modern Clinton High School
- 1963 Plans were made for new schools, including a new Clinton Senior High School for grades 10-12.
- 1968–69 The new Clinton Senior High School was finished.
- 1977 Vocational programs were added, helping students learn job skills.
- 1989 The school added a new library, science labs, and classrooms. Ninth graders joined the high school, and it became Clinton High School again.
The Clinton 12 and Desegregation
In January 1956, a judge ordered Clinton High School to allow Black students to attend. This was part of a national effort to end segregation in schools. On August 27, 1956, twelve African-American students became the first to integrate an all-white school in Tennessee.
Some people protested this decision. National Guard troops were called in for two months to help keep order. The twelve Black students who attended Clinton High School that fall became known as "The Clinton 12". Each school day, they walked together to school. On December 4, 1956, a white minister who supported the students was hurt after walking them to school.
The twelve students were: Jo Ann Boyce, Bobby Cain, Theresser Caswell, Minnie Ann Jones, Gail Ann Upton, Ronald Hayden, William Latham, Alvah J. Lambert, Maurice Soles, Robert Thacker, Regina Smith, and Alfred Williams.
On October 5, 1958, the Clinton High School building was badly damaged by explosions. No one was hurt, but the damage was very costly. While the school was being rebuilt, students went to classes in Oak Ridge. Clinton High School reopened in September 1960.
In 2006, some of the "Clinton 12" students walked to school again to remember the 50th anniversary of the integration. A bronze statue of the "Clinton Twelve" is now displayed outside the former Green McAdoo School. In 2016, Disney Channel aired a short film about the school, featuring Jo Ann Boyce and her grandson. A documentary called The Clinton 12 also tells their story.
School Sports
The Clinton Dragons compete in many sports through the TSSAA. They play football in Class AAAAA. In other sports, they compete in Class AAA.
Here are some of the sports offered:
- Baseball
- Men's Basketball
- Women's Basketball
- Fishing
- Football
- Men's Golf
- Women’s Golf
- Softball
- Men's Soccer
- Women's Soccer
- Track and Field
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
School Environment
Clinton High School has a special solar-powered classroom called the "Net-Zero Building." Students helped build this classroom. It uses power from the sun for things like watching movies. The school has also worked to restore the creek in front of the school to its natural state.
Famous Alumni
Many successful people have graduated from Clinton High School.
- Charles McRae – A former football player for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the University of Tennessee.
- Larry Seivers – A former football player for the Seattle Seahawks and the University of Tennessee.
- Bobby Cain – A member of The Clinton 12 and the first African American student to graduate from a court-ordered integrated high school in the South.
- Tony Colston – A football player.
