North Central High School is a public high school located at 3000 Lockhart Road in Kershaw, South Carolina, United States. It is part of the Kershaw County School District and serves students in grades 9 through 12.
Established in 1979, North Central is the result of a merger of Mt. Pisgah, Baron DeKalb, and Midway High Schools. NCHS is one of the largest attendance zones (300 square miles) in the state serving the Cassatt, Mt. Pisgah, Bethune, Westville, Kershaw and Liberty Hill communities.
North Central High School serves approximately 598 students as of the 2023âÂÂ2024 school year, with a studentâÂÂteacher ratio of 17. The principal is NCHS Alumni, David Branham.
In 1999, the school board voted to close the Bethune High School. Those students and staff members were consolidated into North Central's population. Since its opening in 1979, North Central High has housed students in grades 7 through 12. In 2002, the school district opened the new North Central Middle School, which moved grades 7 and 8 from the High School and grade 6 from the four elementary schools. In 2008, NCHS saw the completion of the facilities equalization plan which included the addition of a new gym, wellness center, tennis courts, track, field house, athletic training facilities, and 450-seat auditorium.
At 10:33 p.m. on Saturday, January 11, 2020, an EF2 tornado with maximum wind speeds of 130 mph heavily damaged the campus, including the stadium, school, and approximately 28 school buses in the transportation office. After the National Weather Service verified the tornado, they reported:
The school was relocated to 874 Vocational Lane in Camden, South Carolina while repairs were made to the home campus. This campus served as ATEC prior to it being reopened to serve North Central students on January 15, 2020.
On January 3, 2023, NCHS held a dedication ceremony for the new facility. The following day, on January 4, 2023, the Knight family returned to school at the new facility on Lockhart Road to begin classes after Christmas break came to an end. It is now the newest high school in the Kershaw County School District.
The school offers a standard high school curriculum including courses in English, mathematics, science, social studies, and electives. Advanced Placement (AP) and honors courses are available for students seeking more rigorous academic challenges.
The school's athletic teams are known as the Knights. They compete in football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, track and field, and cheerleading. The rivalry with Andrew Jackson High School is particularly notable in football and basketball.
North Central High School offers various extracurricular activities, including clubs, band, and student government. The school yearbook is titled Shield.
SCHSL
⢠Softball: 1999
⢠Volleyball: 2024
SCSCA
⢠Weightlifting: 2024 - 2025
SCHSL
⢠Volleyball: 1995
⢠Track & Field (Boys): 2002
⢠Wrestling: 2019, 2020
⢠Volleyball: 2021