Brainerd High School (Tennessee)

Brainerd High School is a public high school located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is operated by the Hamilton County school district.

Brainerd High School
Location
1020 N Moore Rd Chattanooga, Tennessee 37411 United States
Coordinates	35.0280°N 85.2185°W / 35.0280; -85.2185
Information
Type	Public
Opened	1960[1]
School district	Hamilton County Schools
Principal	Crystal Sorrells
Faculty	49.50 (FTE)[2]
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	635 (2022-23)[2]
Student to teacher ratio	12.83[2]
Color(s)	Columbia blue, red and white       [3]
Team name	Panthers[3]

Athletics

Several sports teams are represented at the school. The school's mascot is the Panther. Sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, tennis, track and field, and wrestling.^[4]

State championships

• Baseball - 1965^[4]
• Boys' basketball - 1984, 1988, 1992^[4]
• Girls' basketball - 1984^[4]
• Boys' cross country - 1999^[4]
• Boys' track and field - 1966, 1967, 1970, 1977, 1979, 1986, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2017^[4]
• Girls' track and field - 1978, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2008, 2016.^[4]

Demographics

According to U.S. News & World Report, 93% of the student body is African American, 4% is white, 1% is Hispanic, and 0.2% is Native American. 53% of the student body is male, and 47% is female.^[5]

Notable alumni

Gary Drinnon, 1968

Tom Griscom, 1971^[6]

Leslie Jordan, 1973^[7]

Venus Lacy, basketball player

Malcolm Mackey, 1988^[8]

George S. Clinton, 1965

Historical significance

Brainerd High was the site of an important Supreme Court decision regarding the use of racially-charged symbols, including the display of Confederate flag and the playing of "Dixie" as the school pep song. A 1971 ruling affirmed the right of the school principal to prohibit such symbols, given the racial turbulence at the school in the previous two years. Bans on Confederate symbols in public schools continue to rest on this precedent today.^[9]

References

1. Shearer, John (October 20, 2009). "Unrest At Brainerd High 40 Years Ago". The Chattanoogan.
2. Brainerd High School
3. "Brainerd High School". Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
4. Brainerd High School - TSSAA
5. "Brainerd High School". U.S. News & World Report. 2015. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
6. "I Am Hamilton - Tom Griscom, grad of Brainerd High - Hamilton County Schools". www.hcde.org. Archived from the original on June 20, 2020.
7. "Bright Lights, Big City".
8. "Press Row Podcast (1/27) – Malcolm Mackey on Kobe Bryant | WALV". www.espnchattanooga.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021.
9. Cooper, Clint (April 22, 2023). "Opinion: Brainerd High School case 50 years ago was precedent for future court rulings involving Condfederate apparel". www.timesfreepress.com. Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved May 17, 2023.