| Murphy High School | |
| Address: | 234 High School Circle |
| Zipcode: | 28906 |
| Country: | United States |
| Grades: | 9 - 12 |
| Ceeb: | 342825 |
| Principal: | Wendy Leatherwood |
| Staff: | 34.16 (FTE)[1] |
| Ratio: | 13.93 |
| Enrollment: | 431 (2023–24)[2] |
| Colors: | Black and gold |
| Athletics Conference: | Smoky Mountain Conference |
| Mascot: | Bulldog |
| Nickname: | 'Bulldog Country' |
| Teamname: | Bulldogs |
| Yearbook: | Kanusheta |
| Pushpin Map: | North Carolina#USA |
Murphy High School (MHS) is a public high school in Murphy, North Carolina. It serves grades 9 - 12 and is one of only three high schools in the Cherokee County Schools system. The MHS campus is sandwiched between U.S. Route 19 and the Valley River. The high school shares its campus with Murphy Middle School and the Cherokee County Schools Bus Garage. As of 2007 the school had a full-time teaching staff of 42 teachers giving an average of 12 students per teacher.[3] [4] It has a GreatSchools rating of 5/10 and an average community rating of 4/5 stars.[5] In the 2024-25 school year, 437 students were enrolled. The school has a capacity of 746 students.
Drug and tobacco use at MHS is “significantly higher” than at other schools in the district (83% versus 33%), according to a 2024 statewide teacher survey. In addition, physical student conflict was observed by 61% of MHS teachers compared to 35% of educators across the district.[6]
The original Murphy High School building was constructed in 1925.[7] The 1925 campus is now the current Murphy Elementary School campus. The old building plot is on the pre-K playground. The current campus opened in 1956 on 219 acres as Murphy Senior High School.[8] Construction cost $259,143.[9]
The original mascot for Murphy High School was the Boomers. The Boomer was a red squirrel. The change from the Murphy Boomers to the Murphy Bulldogs happened on October 23, 1938.[10]
An EF2 tornado damaged Murphy High School, Murphy Middle School, and the CCS Bus Garage during the tornado outbreak of March 2–3, 2012. The schools were temporarily forced to close as a result.[11]
In May 2020, the Cherokee County Board of Education voted to consolidate Andrews, Murphy, and Hiwassee Dam High Schools. In September 2022, a grant of $50 million was given to the school system for this purpose, but in January 2023 new members of the Cherokee County Board of Education voted to return the money instead.[12]
“Practically all of Murphy High School is in need of dramatic repairs and improvements or a complete replacement altogether,” the Cherokee Scout newspaper wrote in 2023.[13]
Murphy High was voted as the best school in Cherokee County in the Scouts 2023 Readers' Choice awards.[14]
Murphy's teams are known as the Bulldogs. The football team plays at Bob Hendrix Memorial Stadium. Murphy competes in the Smoky Mountain Conference (SMC) and its varsity sports are: