Central High School (Memphis, Tennessee)

Central High School

Memphis Central High modern entry

Location

306 South Bellevue Boulevard

Memphis

Tennessee

38104

United States

Information
Type| Public
Motto| Enhancing The Tradition of Excellence
Established| 1909
School district| Shelby County Schools
Principal| Amy Epps
Teaching staff| 78.98 (FTE)[1]
Grades| 9–12
Enrollment| 1,300 (2023–2024)[1]
Student to teacher ratio| 16.46[1]
Color(s)| Green and gold
Fight song| Warrior Song/War Drum
Mascot| Warrior
Nickname| The High School
Website| schools.scsk12.org/central-hs

United States historic place

Central High School

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Front of Central High

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Location| 306 S. Bellevue Blvd., Memphis, Tennessee
Coordinates| 35°8′1″N 90°1′11″W﻿ / ﻿35.13361°N 90.01972°W﻿ / 35.13361; -90.01972
Area| 6 acres (2.4 ha)
Built| 1911
Architect| B.C. Alsup
Architectural style| Tudor Revival, Jacobethan Revival
MPS| Public Schools of Memphis 1902-1915 TR
NRHP reference No.| 82004041[2]
Added to NRHP| September 17, 1982

Central High School is a public high school (grades 9-12) in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Founded in the early 1900s, it is popularly considered the first high school in Memphis. This, however, is not accurate; in fact, 3 High Schools in Memphis were established before Central: Booker T Washington in 1873 (with the same colors and mascot), Manassas HS in 1899, and Melrose in 1894.

Central is often called "THE" High School. It is a part of the Shelby County Optional School system where it is recognized as a school specializing in college preparatory programs. The principal is Amy Epps. Central's mascot is the Warrior and the school colors are green and gold. For recognition as the successor to Memphis High School, the first high school for whites in Memphis, Central High's football team, rather than having artwork denoting the "Warrior" mascot, simply has a capital "H", for THE High School

## History

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Central High was built in 1911 by the Memphis Board of Education, when the current building was erected on Raleigh Avenue, now called Bellevue Blvd. It is in the Jacobean Revival architecture style, with corner pavilions on the west facade, and rusticated surrounds on the upper story windows. Though there have been additions, the school retains its architectural integrity.[3] Central High's building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 17, 1982.[2]

## Academics

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Central High School offers a traditional program of academics as well as a College Preparatory Optional Program. Honors and Advanced Placement courses are offered.[4]

In 2014, 405 students received diplomas. ACT composite scores for the 2014-2015 school year were 18.1 vs 19.8 for the state and 21.1 national.[4][needs update]

## Extra-curricular activities

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Central High School has clubs in foreign language, volunteer service, and honor societies. Central's jazz band placed first in the 2025 Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition in New York City, winning additional awards for trumpet, trombone, and rhythm sections.[5][6]

### Sports

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Central High has numerous varsity sports teams, including baseball/softball, basketball, swimming, golf, football, soccer, volleyball, cross country/track, tennis, and wrestling.[7]

## Notable alumni

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This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article and are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations. (July 2021)

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* William F. Barnes \- football coach at UCLA
* John S. Bull \- CHS '52, NASA Astronaut Group 5 selected in 1966.[8]
* Charles W. Burson \- CHS '62; legal counsel and chief of staff to Vice-President Al Gore
* Alex Chilton \- musician of the Box Tops – “The Letter”; would have been CHS '69, but dropped out when The Letter became a hit
* John Farris \- CHS ’55; author “Harrison High”, a fictional account of Central High
* Avron Fogelman \- Memphis businessman
* Key Glock \- CHS '15; music artist and rapper signed to Paper Route Empire[citation needed]
* Bette Greene \- CHS ’52; author “Summer of My German Soldier”
* Natalie Jackson - CHS '78; (a.k.a. Kudisan Kai) background vocalist for Elton John, Natalie Cole, and others[9]
* Lester Hudson \- professional basketball player
* George Barnes \- alias Machine Gun Kelly[10]
* William G. Leftwich, Jr. \- Marine killed in Vietnam
* Terry Manning \- music producer, photographer
* William Poduska \- CHS '55; electrical engineer, businessman, and professor
* William Sanderson \- CHS ’62; "Larry" on the Newhart show
* Pooh Shiesty \- CHS '18; rapper and music artist[citation needed]
* Edward L. Stanton III \- United States Attorney & federal judicial nominee
* Tyler Stone (born 1991) - basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
* Art Tait \- American football player in the National Football League (NFL)
* Peter Taylor \- short-story writer and novelist
* Margaret Valiant \- musician, folklorist, ethnomusicologist and activist
* Jon Wells - CHS '76; alias "Thunder Paws", former drummer for Black Oak Arkansas (recorded on Ready As Hell)[11]
* Kemmons Wilson \- founder of Holiday Inn[12]

## References

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1. ^ a b c Central High
2. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
3. ^ Lloyd Ostby (May 1982). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Central High School". National Park Service. Retrieved February 9, 2016. Accompanying three photos from 1982.
4. ^ a b "Central High School Profile" (PDF). Central High School Memphis. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 23, 2016. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
5. ^ "Sweet sound of victory for Central High's Jazz Band at international competition". FOX13 Memphis. May 12, 2025. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
6. ^ Moore, Raven (May 11, 2025). "Memphis HS takes first place in global jazz band competition". WREG-TV. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
7. ^ "School Directory: Memphis Central High School". portal.tssaa.org. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
8. ^ "Biographical Data" (PDF). Retrieved March 11, 2022.
9. ^ "Kudisan Kai". Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
10. ^ "Machine Gun Kelly captured in Memphis". historic-memphis.com. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
11. ^ "Jim Dandy - Ready As Hell". Discogs. 1984. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
12. ^ Ryan Chittum (September 20, 2005). "The Holidome Returns: Slumping Holiday Inn Expands Water Parks". The Wall Street Journal.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Central High School (Memphis, Tennessee).

* CHS History

Authority control databases: Geographic |

* NCES

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*[No.]: number