Julius L. Chambers High School

Julius L. Chambers High School
Address
7600 IBM Drive Charlotte, North Carolina 28262 United States
Coordinates	35°18′01″N 80°46′11″W
Information
Former names	Vance High School (1997–2021)
Type	Public
Established	1997 (28 years ago) (1997)
School district	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
CEEB code	340708
Principal	Travares Hicks
Staff	107.86 (FTE)[1]
Enrollment	2,224 (2022–23)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	20.62[1]
Color(s)	Navy blue and orange
Mascot	Cougar
Accreditation	AdvancED[2]
Website	www.cmsk12.org/chambersHS

Julius L. Chambers High School, is a high school located in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System, and opened in 1997. The sports teams are known as the Cougars.

Besides providing the standard state-mandated high school curriculum, the school also has an engineering academy, which gives advanced training to students interested in engineering careers.

Graduation Rate Decline

Between 2015 and 2024 Julius L. Chambers High School's graduation rate fell 15.1 percentage points to 73% while the State-wide rate increased 1.4 percentage points.

For school year 2023-2024 Chambers had the 5th worst state-wide graduation rate for traditional public high schools with student population greater than 1000.

Name change

The school was originally named after Zebulon Baird Vance, a Confederate military officer in the American Civil War, slave owner, twice Governor of North Carolina, and U.S. Senator. In June 2020, as a result of the George Floyd protests, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board officially stated that they had started the process to rename the school to remove the association with the Confederacy.[3][4]

Julius Chambers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, February 13, 2007

In October 2020, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School board decided to name the school after Julius L. Chambers, who was a famous lawyer, civil rights leader, and educator from North Carolina.[5][6] The school officially changed its name in a ceremony on July 14, 2021.[7]

Athletics

Chambers High School is a part of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) and are classified as a 4A school. Their team name is the "Cougars." The school colors are navy blue and orange.

On May 8, 2021, the school won its second straight North Carolina 4AA state championship in football, in its third straight appearance in the championship game.[8]

Notable alumni

• DaBaby, rapper[9]
• Myles Dorn, professional football player
• E. J. Drayton, former professional basketball player[10]
• Chavis Holmes, professional basketball player[11]
• Travis Holmes, former professional basketball player[12]
• Paul Troth, football coach[13]

References

1. "Vance High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
2. Institution Summary, AdvancED, Retrieved July 8, 2012
3. "CMS Board starts renaming process of high school named after Confederate military officer". WBTV. June 23, 2020.
4. Somasundaram, Praveena (June 20, 2020). "What's next for Charlotte schools named after Confederate figures?". The Charlotte Observer.
5. Russell, Dedrick [@dedrickrussell] (October 9, 2020). "Just told ⁦@CharMeckSchools⁩ will rename Vance High School - Julius Chambers High School at Tuesday night's school board mtg. ⁦@WBTV_News⁩ https://t.co/4AsG3nfUO5" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2021 – via Twitter.
6. Ma, Annie. (October 14, 2020). Introducing Julius L. Chambers High. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools drops Vance High's Confederate namesake. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
7. Della Costa, Anna Maria (July 14, 2021). "From slave owner to civil rights icon: Chambers High officially gets a new name". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
8. "Vance grabs second straight championship with 35-14 win over Rolesville". WBTV. May 8, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
9. Hein, Michael. (December 7, 2019). 'SNL' Musical Guest DaBaby: Everything to Know. popculture.com. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
10. E.J. Drayton - Men's Basketball - Charlotte Athletics. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
11. Chavis Holmes - 2008-09 - Men's Basketball - VMI. vmikeydets.com. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
12. Travis Holmes - 2008-09 - Men's Basketball - Virginia Military Institute. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
13. "Paul Troth Prospect Info". 247Sports. Retrieved December 4, 2018.

External links

• Official website