Martinsburg High School is a high school located in the upper
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia in the United States. The Valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the east ...
in
Martinsburg,
West Virginia
West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
. The school is a member of the
WVSSAC
The West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission (WVSSAC, but colloquially referred to as SSAC) is the main governing body of high school sports, cheerleading, and marching bands in West Virginia, United States. Beginning with the 2024-25 s ...
. The principal of the school is Trent Sherman.
History and academics
MHS struggled in the late 1960s due to budgetary constraints. The school had a different principal each year in 1968, 1969, and 1970, and did not have any cafeteria facilities on the premises. MHS graduated three
National Merit Scholars
The National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and university scholarships. The program is managed by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), a privately funded not-for-profit ...
in 1971.
In 2011 Martinsburg High School became the 623rd official chapter of the
Science National Honor Society
Science National Honor Society is an American academic nationwide honor society focused on science for high school
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary school ...
. Martinsburg High School was the sixth high school in West Virginia to be recognized by the Science National Honor Society.
Sports

All the school's athletic teams compete at the "AAA" level, which includes the largest schools in the state. Martinsburg won AAA State Basketball Championships in 1994, 2009, and 2013. Martinsburg has won 10 AAA State Football Championships in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2023. Martinsburg holds West Virginia's record of most consecutive high school AAA Football Championships of all time, winning four straight championships on two occasions, the first during the 2010–2013 seasons and then again from 2016 to 2019. Martinsburg also held the record for the longest winning streak in state history, which began on October 26, 2016, and ended at 57 games with a loss to Spring Valley (Huntington, WV) HS in the 2020-2021 season. Martinsburg currently holds the 2nd longest active win streak in the country. Martinsburg has also been the AAA State Baseball Champions on several occasions, including 1983, 1989, 1996, and 2009.
Martinsburg also competes in women's volleyball, wrestling, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's track, men's and women's cross-country, men's and women's tennis, co-ed golf, and cheerleading.
Music
The Martinsburg High School Bulldog Band is composed of approximately 100 students. The jazz band has scored a "superior" rating, the highest rating possible, at every competition in which it has competed. During the 2010 and marching season, the Bulldog Marching Band ranked first in Division 4 at the TOB Chapter Championships in Lewis County, WV. They also went home with an overall score of 88.0 and the award for best auxiliary and best drum major. The band also accomplished another victory in October 2011, by receiving first at Chapter Championships for the second consecutive year.

MHS's choral department has won numerous Grand Champions and state championships. They are one of the only two MHS sports or extracurricular activities to compete on a national level, the other being theatre. Good Times Show Choir competed at the National Show Choir Competition in April 2014 and in April 2018, winning Best Backstage Crew.
Air Force JROTC
Martinsburg High School hosts the Berkeley County School's Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC) WV-071 curriculum. Each year this program instructs over 200 students from all BCS high schools. In 2019 the AFJROTC WV-071 unit earned the highest Headquarters AFJROTC evaluation grade of Exceeds Standards.
Notable alumni
*
Jennifer Armentrout, New York Times bestselling author of young adult and fantasy novels
*
Ray Barker
Major general (United States), Major General Ray Wehnes Barker (December 10, 1889 – June 28, 1974) was a United States Army officer of the Allies of World War II, Allied Forces, and served in the European Theater of Operations during World War ...
, former Major League first baseman for the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
.
*
Scott Bullett
Scott Douglas Bullett (born December 25, 1968) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played all or part of four seasons between 1991 and 1996. He also played one season in Japan with the Chunichi Dragons in 2002. Towards the ...
, former Major League outfielder for the
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
.
*
Vicky Bullett
Victoria Andrea Bullett (born October 4, 1967) is an American former professional basketball player and current women's basketball head coach at West Virginia Wesleyan College. She played for the Charlotte Sting and Washington Mystics in the W ...
, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and former WNBA player
*
Doug Creek
Paul Douglas Creek (March 1, 1969 – July 28, 2024) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played ten seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1995 to 2005 for the St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, the Tamp ...
, former Major League pitcher (1995–97; 1999–03; 2005).
*
Juwan Green
Juwan Green (born July 1, 1998) is an American professional football wide receiver. He played college football at Albany, and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Atlanta Falcons. As a senior at the University at Albany, he broke team re ...
, NFL wide receiver (Class of 2016)
*
Kevin Pittsnogle, a basketball player who played for
West Virginia University
West Virginia University (WVU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Ins ...
*
Fulton Walker
Fulton Luther Walker Jr. (April 30, 1958 – October 12, 2016) was an American professional football player who was a cornerback for the Miami Dolphins from 1981 to 1985 and Los Angeles Raiders from 1985 to 1986 of the National Football Le ...
, a former NFL defensive back and kick returner
*
Donte Grantham
Donte Lamont Grantham (born March 19, 1995) is an American-Qatari basketball player for Bursaspor Basketbol of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). He played college basketball for Clemson University.
College career
Grantham competed for the Clemso ...
, a basketball player who played for
Clemson University
Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...
and currently plays for
Bursaspor Yörsan in the
Turkish Basketball Super League
Turkish may refer to:
* Something related to Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire
* The w ...
.
*
Tyson Bagent
Tyson Jacob Bagent (; born June 8, 2000) is an American professional football quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Shepherd Rams.
As a five-year starter at Shepherd, Bagent ...
, quarterback who was signed by the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
in 2023.
References
External links
Martinsburg High School
{{Portalbar, Schools, West Virginia, Education
Buildings and structures in Martinsburg, West Virginia
Public high schools in West Virginia
Schools in Berkeley County, West Virginia
1883 establishments in West Virginia
Educational institutions established in 1883