Kelso High School is a

public high school A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...

Kelso, Washington Kelso is a city in the southwestern part of the State of Washington and is the county seat of Cowlitz County. At the 2020 census, the population was 12,720. Kelso is part of the Longview, Washington Metropolitan statistical area, which has ...

, United States.

History

In 1905, the first Kelso High School (then known as Washington School) classes began with the first seniors graduating in 1909. Thirteen years later, a new high school was built, known as Kelso High School, in 1922. The first year the high school was accredited by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools was in 1927. The school was moved to its current location after a new school was built in 1970. The original Kelso High School was torn down in 1987. In 2003, the building underwent extensive renovations and additions to accommodate the district wide change from junior high (7th-9th) to

middle school Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school. Afghanistan In Afghanistan, middle school includes g ...

(6th-8th) (Huntington and Coweeman). The 100th Kelso senior class graduated in 2008.

Sports

Kelso participates in the second-largest classification of high schools in the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) in the six-team Greater St. Helens 3A League. KHS has a very long history and tradition with two local rivalries across the Cowlitz River in Longview; R.A. Long and Mark Morris high schools. The football games between Kelso and RA Long are known as "The Battle of the Plaid" and have met for over 90 games.

State championships

* Football: 1983Washington Interscholastic Athletics Association
Tournament History: School Information
. * Boys Track: 1984 * Baseball: 1995 * Softball: 1998, 2009, 2010 * Girls Track: 2023 * Girls Wrestling: 2025

Notable alumni

* Jeff Bailey - first baseman for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

* Colin Kelly - Professional football player in the Canadian Football League * Howard Hobson - began his coaching career at Kelso High School * Tommy Lloyd - Head basketball coach at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

* Trevor May - Major League Baseball pitcher for the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

* David Richie - Kelso High 1992 graduate,

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

, and retired with

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

* Jason Schmidt - retired Major League Baseball pitcher

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

* Sid Snyder - Politician and businessman * Connor Trinneer - Actor in Star Trek, Enterprise

References

External links

*
Kelso School District
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1905 High schools in Cowlitz County, Washington Schools accredited by the Northwest Accreditation Commission School buildings completed in 1970 Public high schools in Washington (state) 1905 establishments in Washington (state)