Type Public high school Principal Mark Driskell Enrollment 1,600 Phone +1 575-234-3319 Founded 1908 Colors White, Royal blue, Silver | Established 1908 Grades 9-12 Campus Rural (suburban) Mascot Rusty, The Caveman Lowest grade Ninth grade | |
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Address 3000 W Church St, Carlsbad, NM 88220, USA Athletics conference New Mexico Activities Association Similar Carlsbad Municipal School Di, Carlsbad High School N, Alta Vista Middle School, Loving Middle School, Artesia High School | ||
Carlsbad High School (CHS) is located in Carlsbad, New Mexico, United States, with a student population of over 1600 students. Carlsbad High serves Carlsbad and the nearby communities of La Huerta, White's City, Queen, Otis, and Malaga.
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CHS received a grade of 'C from the New Mexico Public Education Department in 2016.
Campus
The Carlsbad High School Campus was opened in 1962, with the conversion of the previous high school into what is now present-day Carlsbad Intermediate School. Carlsbad High School consists of nine buildings scattered across a large campus. The Main Building is a three-story building with an interior atrium opening to the northeast. Also on campus are the Freshman Academy (where classes for most freshman are held), the Science Building, the PAD (housing the History and Math departments), the Cafeteria (also housing the theatre department), the Gym Complex (including a public-access natatorium), the Performing Arts Center (containing the band, choir, dance, and cheerleading programs), the Arts and Crafts building, and the Building Trades Center. CHS is the largest high school campus in the state of New Mexico, and one of the largest in the country.
Mascot and colors
CHS' athletic teams are known as the Cavemen (boys) and Cavegirls (girls), a tribute to the world-famous Carlsbad Caverns located near the city. The school's mascot is a caveman named "Rusty". Rusty received his name from the first Caveman statue placed on display in the Main building. This statue was often decorated and dressed in blue for special occasions (e.g. district championships, rivalry victories, state championships). Rusty was often subject to abuse from rival high schools. For example, Artesia High School students once kidnapped and dropped him at Lake Avalon, just north of Carlsbad. Local residents retrieved him out of the lake after a few years had passed. He now resides in the library (on the third floor of the Main Building) facing out the window and overlooking the campus. School colors are Blue, Silver, and White.
Athletics
CHS competes in the New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA), as a class 6A school in District 3. In 2013, the NMAA realigned the state's schools in to six classifications and adjusted district boundaries. In addition to Carlsbad High School, the schools in District 3-6A include: Hobbs High School, Carlsbad High School has a total of 68 state titles, which puts it in fourth place for most state titles across all sports divisions in New Mexico. CHS competes in a wide variety of sports as the Cavemen and Cavegirls:
Rivalries
The Cavemen have several powerful rivalries that they participate in. The Cavemen have their standard district rivalry with the Hobbs Eagles. Carlsbad holds the overall series against both in baseball and softball, while Clovis holds football and Hobbs holds basketball. In addition to these schools, Carlsbad has a bitter rivalry with the Artesia Bulldogs, which is referred to by the two schools as "The Eddy County War" or "The Battle for Eddy County". Carlsbad holds an overall series in football, but by less than 10 wins as Artesia has beat the Cavemen 6 times in a row. The Cavemen traditionally beat the Bulldogs at home in basketball while the Bulldogs often win at home. This is a powerful but friendly rivalry and is one of the longest running high school rivalries in the state of New Mexico. Other regional rivals include the Goddard Rockets, the Roswell Coyotes, the Alamogordo Tigers, and the Mayfield Trojans, as these teams play each other often.