Rome High School

History

This school replaced East Rome and West Rome High Schools. Construction started at the current site, shared with the Rome Middle School, in the summer of 1990.

As part of the National Schools Recognition Program sponsored by the United States Department of Education in an effort to recognize distinguished public schools, the Georgia Department of Education selected this school as a "school of excellence" in 1996. The school was subsequently commended by the Georgia House of Representatives in recognition for being selected as the 1996 Georgia High School of Excellence from the 7th Congressional District. The school has been named "Best High School in America" three times by U.S. News & World Report (2008, 2009, 2012). The last ranking placed Rome High 31st of the 446 high schools in Georgia.

The school and its students won two Georgia Scholastic Press Awards in 2007, and had two first place prize winners in the 2007 Georgia Humanities Council National History Day state contest.

Test scores

In 2004, before the SAT included the Writing section, the senior class at RHS scored above the Georgia and national average.

In 2007, two years after the inclusion of the Writing section, Governor Sonny Perdue and Georgia Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox released through the Office of the Governor a list of the 25 Georgia schools with the highest SAT scores of 2007 seniors. Overall, RHS ranked 16th, with an average combined score of 1621. The school tied three others for 15th place on the Reading section, took 20th place in Mathematics, and tied one other school for 13th place on the Writing section.

Athletics

Rome High School sponsors 31 athletic teams on campus, with boys and girls participating in varsity, junior varsity, and 9th grade competitions.

On December 9, 2016, Rome High won The Georgia High School Association 5A football Championship at The Georgia Dome

Band

The Rome High Marching Band is known as the "Sound of the Seven Hills." In six competitions between 2006 and 2007, the band was named Grand Champion four times and took third place twice. The New York Times has called them a "role model for all high school bands." In the 2011 season, the band was named Grand Champion at the Lake Lanier Competition of Bands. Over the holiday break of 2011, the band traveled to Tampa, Florida to perform at halftime with several other bands at the 2011 Outback Bowl between the University of Georgia Bulldogs and Michigan State.

Chorus

The Rome High Chorus has grown immensely over the past seven years. They have competed and won competitions in Florida, Georgia, and Ohio. They have many extracurriculars, including an a cappella choir which competes in ICHSA, a girls' literary trio that placed first in state in 2010, a boys' quartet that placed first in state in 2008, and a girls' and boys' soloist who have placed first regionally multiple times and have come as close as second place in state. The choir's director is Joseph Salter.

Drama

The Drama Department at RHS sponsors International Thespian Society Troupe #1722. Every spring the advanced acting class writes a one-act play to perform at the local elementary schools. The department has also produced Beauty and the Beast, Fiddler on the Roof, and Phantom of the Opera. This talented cast and crew have come a long way and the community expects their visually and emotionally thrilling performances.

Notable alumni