Airport High School in West Columbia, South Carolina, United States, is a public high school offering education for grades 9 – 12, serving the communities of West Columbia, Cayce, South Congaree, Pine Ridge, and parts of Gaston. A part of Lexington County School District 2, it derives its name from its location next to (CAE) Columbia Metropolitan Airport. Sports teams are known as the Eagles. The main athletic rival is the Brookland-Cayce High School Bearcats.
| Airport High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
1315 Boston Avenue , 29170 United States | |
| Coordinates | 33°57′0″N 81°6′23″W / 33.95000°N 81.10639°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public high school |
| Established | 1958 |
| School district | Lexington County School District Two |
| Principal | Matt Schilit |
| Teaching staff | 75.00 (FTE)[1] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 1,428 (2022–2023)[1] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 19.04[1] |
| Color(s) | Blue and gray |
| Athletics | Fall: Competitive Cheer, Cross Country, Football, Girls Golf, Swimming, Girls Tennis, Volleyball
Winter: Girls Basketball, Boys Basketball, Bowling, Wrestling Spring: Baseball, Boys Golf, Girls Soccer, Softball, Boys Tennis, Track[citation needed] |
| Mascot | Eagle |
| Nickname | The Port, Flight School |
| Rival | Brookland-Cayce High School |
| Newspaper | The Eyrie |
| Yearbook | Aquila |
| Affiliation | Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE), Midlands Technical College (Airport Campus) |
| Website | https://ahs.lex2.org/ |
Structure
editAirport HS has a student body of around 1,400. Airport HS has a student: teacher ratio of 31:1 in core subjects. The current principal is Matt Schilit, alongside assistant principals Julie Miller, Cheryl Talton, and Chris Pumphrey .
Class breakdown is as follows:
- 9th – 566
- 10th – 484
- 11th – 441
- 12th – 454 [2]
Feeder schools
editElementary and middle schools that feed into Airport High School are Congaree Elementary School, Springdale Elementary School, Herbert A. Wood Elementary School, R.H. Fulmer Middle School, and Pine Ridge Middle School.
JROTC Drill Team
editAirport's Golden Talon Drill Team is a drill team that consistently finishes as the top drill team in South Carolina, and in the top 10 drill teams in the nation.
Notable alumni
edit- Larry Francis Lebby – Artist who has served on the board of the South Carolina Nation Diabetic Association, the South Carolina Arts Commission, and the Governor's Task Force for the Arts. His work has been displayed throughout the United States in places such as the White House, the Smithsonian Institution, the United Nations and the United States Senate. In 1989, his work was displayed at the Vatican in Rome.[3]
- Duce Staley – Former NFL player and current assistant head coach for the Detroit Lions[4]
- Jim Stuckey – former NFL football player and a member of the Super Bowl XVI and XIX Champion San Francisco 49ers.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Airport High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
- ^ Airport High School – West Columbia, South Carolina/SC – Public School Profile
- ^ "Larry Francis Lebby". South Carolina African American History Calendar. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
- ^ "Airport High School's Duce Staley hired as Detroit Lions' new assistant head coach". westmetronews. January 25, 2021. Retrieved February 18, 2022.