At Cherokee Trail High School, we are committed to preparing graduates for college – work – life, and ensuring that students are ready for the many challenges of the post-secondary world.

Our mission is “to ignite the genius and nurture the goodness within us all.” We hope to achieve that mission by planning for a rigorous and supportive academic experience for all students. We have designated “college preparation” as our “default” experience. We guide our curriculum and instruction towards college ready benchmarks at each grade level.  We understand and respect that some students may choose not to attend college, but we want college to be a viable option. We believe that students who are ready for college are also better prepared for the military and work.

By the end of the 2010-11 school year, approximately 83% of our senior class had committed to attending a two or four year college or university and 8% of our seniors committed to career education or the military. We will be striving to move that total number closer to 100% this school year. We encourage all students to take Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and/or Dual Credit classes prior to graduation from high school. We know that successful completion of college level courses is an important indicator of college and career readiness.

We believe that all students can and must learn.  As a school, we are committed to Excellence and Equity for our students. We know that we will not be truly excellent until we can ensure that college preparation and acceptance is the standard for all of our graduates. We are proud of our increasing ACT scores and we can proudly report progress in closing the achievement gap between our highest and lowest performing subgroups of students. Every year of high school is precious and we want our students to maximize the many opportunities offered at CT. We believe that each student is special, and we strive to find the best ways to tailor the experience to the individual student.

We encourage our students to get involved in the life of our school and the greater CTHS community. Most of our students are involved in activities and clubs, athletics, volunteer work or leadership. Our students are multitalented and we are committed to helping them become well-rounded citizens. Our ultimate goal is to encourage every student to be involved in at least one extra-curricular activity and athletic.  

Since opening in 2003, we have enjoyed an open and evolving partnership with our parent community. Please take the time to introduce yourself so we can build a strong collaborative foundation. We value the diversity of our community and welcome all parents as collaborators, leaders and supporters of our students and school. I encourage you to join the PTCO Manager, a communication tool, for our parents to stay informed on all “things” happening at CT.

We are excited to continue our journey to excellence. It is a pleasure and honor to be the principal of this fine school. I cherish our students and believe in our faculty and staff. Together, we will make it another great year!

We Are CT!
Kim Rauh, Principal