Before the birth of Cherokee High School, Cherokee County had three high schools. Two of these, Canton High School and Reinhardt Academy, were merged by the formation of the new school system in 1956. The third, Ralph Bunche, was consolidated with Cherokee High School by an act of the Cherokee County Board of Education in 1967.
Cherokee High School held its first classes during the academic year of 1956-57. The faculty consisted of 34 teachers and one principal with 821 students. The school plant consisted of only two buildings: the building housing the classrooms and offices and the building then called the agriculture building. During the period from 1957 to 1970, a gymnasium, auditorium, vocational building, language arts building and 21 additional classrooms were added.
In 1956 students came to Cherokee High School from the following elementary schools: Avery, Ball Ground, Buffington, Canton, Clayton, Free Home, Hickory Flat, Holly Springs, R.M. Moore, North Canton, Oak Grove, Union Hill, and Woodstock. In 1957 Avery and Union Hill were consolidated with the surrounding schools. As a result of the consolidations of 1957 and 1967, Cherokee High School enrolled students from Ralph Bunche High School and the 11 elementary schools listed above.
Cherokee High School offers a comprehensive program of academic, career tech and enrichment courses. The student Activities Program consists of clubs and activity organizations.
Cherokee High School is fully accredited by the Georgia Accrediting Commission and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
The persons who have served Cherokee High as principals are Hal W. Clements (1956-58), Jim H. Jordan (1958-1966), Dr. Edwin R. Casey (1966-1990), J. Rick Ingram (1990-1995), Dr. Susan Padgett-Harrison (1996-1999), William J. Sebring (1999 – 2006), Pam Biser (2006-2010) , Debra Murdock (2010 – 2015), Todd Miller from 2015 to 2018, Rodney Larrotta from 2019 to 2023, and Andrew Hall from 2023 to present.
Voters in Cherokee County approved an extension of the penny sales tax for schools in 2021 that will provide the funding for the construction of a new Cherokee High School campus, set to open in August of 2026.
