Karns High School

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Karns High School
Address
2710 Byington Solway Road Karns , Tennessee United States
Coordinates	35°58′09″N 84°07′48″W / 35.96909°N 84.1301°W / 35.96909; -84.1301
Information
Type	Public
Established	1913
Principal	Laicee Hatfield
Teaching staff	91.40 (FTE)[1]
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	1,394 (2022–23)[1]
Student to teacher ratio	15.25[1]
Color(s)	blue and gold
Mascot	Beavers
Website	http://knoxschools.org/karnshs

Karns High School is a public high school in the Karns community of Knox County, Tennessee administered by the Knox County Schools public school district.

A growing population in western Knox County established in 1913; prior to this time, students were assigned to Central High School, located several miles away in nearby Knoxville. As of the 2008 academic year there were 2,578 enrolled students. Still to date that is the largest number of students enrolled at Karns High School since it was established in 1913. In 1913, the first Karns High School was erected. This building was named after Professor T.C. Karns, the first Superintendent of Public Instruction in Knox County. The high school had an enrollment of 75 students while the elementary school had 160 students. In 1938, a new Karns High School was built at the cost of $74,000. Its location was in the back of the parking lot where the current Karns Intermediate School is. The location chosen had previously been a Dutch cemetery but the bodies were exhumed to Cobb’s barn.

In the cornerstone of the new high school, the student body roll of 1938, newspapers, and other information of interest were buried for future generations to look at. Things went well at this location until March 10, 1978, when the building became victim of arson. Due to the quick action of the volunteer fireman, the only losses were the study hall and the temporary loss of two classrooms. Then on March 15, 1978, 5 days after the first fire, Karns became a fiery blaze in the night. At 9:06 p.m., firemen were summoned but weren’t as lucky this time. This fire caused the loss of six classrooms, the study hall once again, the auditorium, cafeteria and many books and personal belongings in the lockers on the second and third floors.