Signal Mountain Middle High School is a public high school located in Signal Mountain, Tennessee, United States. The school serves the central west section of Hamilton County for students in grades 6-12.
The school is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
History The school was opened in 2008.Ruth Robinson, "Signal Mountain Middle/High School Dedicated", The Chattanoogan, July 31, 2008. Desire for a high school located in Signal Mountain had been present for nearly 50 years, though efforts to actually establish the school did not begin until about 10 years prior. Eddie Gravitte was the school's first principal. In August 2009, Gravitte was removed as principal by HCDE administration and replaced by Dr. Tom McCullough.David Carroll, "Scales Removes Gravitte as Signal Mtn Principal", WRCB TV, August 31, 2009.
SMMHS became an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme school as of 2010Judy Frank, "SMMHS Certified for International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme", The Chattanoogan, March 15, 2010. and added the IB Diploma Programme in 2011."IB Diploma Program" at SMMHS website (accessed November 24, 2012).
In May 2012, Dr. McCullough announced his plans to retire at the end of the school year, and Robin Copp was announced as his replacement.Kevin Hardy, "Signal Mountain Principal Retiring After Three Years", Chattanooga Times Free Press, May 16, 2012. However, McCullough was soon suspended without pay by the HCDE superintendent over breaches in HCDE policy compliance.Kevin Hardy, "Signal Mountain school Principal Tom McCullough Suspended Without Pay", Chattanooga Times Free Press, May 23, 2012. The suspension was quickly lifted.David Carroll, "McCullough's Suspension Lifted by Supt. Rick Smith", WRCB TV, May 26, 2012. Robin Copp became principal beginning in the fall of 2012 and left to take over as principal of Ooltewah High School following the end of the 2015-2016 school year.
Todd Stinson took office beginning in 2016 (and has been transferred to Lookout Valley Middle/High in 2018). Near the end of 2016, some members of the Signal Mountain community began pushing for the town to form its own school district, separate from Hamilton County, that would include SMMHS and its two feeder elementary schools, Nolan Elementary and Thrasher Elementary. The proposal caused some disagreement among Signal Mountain residents.Kendi Rainwater "Signal Mountain to Consider Forming Own School District", Chattanooga Times Free Press, December 1, 2016. By early 2018, a consensus on the possibility of breaking away had not been met, though a town council committee formed to investigate the viability of the move was disbanded, effectively ending the debate.Taneisha Cordell, "Signal Mountain Council Votes to Disband School System Viability Committee", WRCB TV, February 12, 2018. In May 2018, Dr. Shane Harwood, formerly the principal of the nearby feeder school Nolan Elementary, was announced as the new principal beginning in the fall of 2018. Harwood retired following the 2022-2023 school year and was replaced by Michael Carson, a former Vice Principal at SMMHS.
Currently, around 1300 students are enrolled. As of the 2014-2015 school year, the student population is 93% Caucasian, 3% African American, and 4% Other."SMMHS Student Body", US News
Academics and testing During the 2017-2018 school year, 38 senior students (roughly 25% of the graduating class) scored a 30 or above on the ACT, including two scores of 36.
Fine Arts Signal Mountain Middle / High School offers five different fine arts for middle and high school students to pursue. They are: band, art, theatre, chorus and strings. From middle school through sophomore year of high school, all students are required to take one fine art. There are middle school concert bands separated by grade level, a high school concert band, middle and high school strings, chorus and theatre classes, as well as different levels of art classes.
The Signal Corps Marching Band won the Division II State Championship on November 6, 2021.
The band also went on to place 4th in the Bands of America Grand Nationals Competition Class A in 2021.
Extracurricular activities Signal Mountain has participated in academic competitions, including Youth in Government, Model United Nations, Technology Student Association, and in mock trial. The school also is involved in a program called Youth Court that partners with Hamilton County Juvenile Court.
Athletics
TSSAA-sanctioned sports The below TSSAA-sanctioned teams have won a combined 48 state championships. Years indicate team state championships.
Baseball Boys' basketball Girls' basketball Boys' bowling Girls' bowling Boys' cross country: 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023 Girls' cross country: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 Football: 2010 Girls' flag football Boys' golf: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2025 Girls' golf: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017 Boys' lacrosse Girls' lacrosse Boys' soccer Girls' soccer: 2018, 2019, 2020 Softball Boys' tennis Girls' tennis: 2018 Boys' track: 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Girls' track: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025 Girls' Volleyball: 2010, 2023 Wrestling: 2022
References
External links Signal Mountain Middle High School website