FAQ: The New Cherokee High School
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What is Café 56, and what is the significance of the name?
Café 56 is the student dining hall with a seating capacity of 856. The 30,096 square foot café, which includes a grab-and-go breakfast window, will serve 4 periods of lunch a day and can be used for a variety of after-hours events and student activities. “Café 56” honors the school's original opening in 1956.
How many parking spaces are available?
The facility has 946 parking spaces and 44 bus slots.
Who is Ken White?
Mr. Ken White is a generous philanthropist and noted alumnus from the class of 1959. The gymnasium, baseball/softball complexes, and practice field have been named in his honor to acknowledge his donation to the school.
Will the football field still be named Tommy Baker Field?
Yes, a committee, made up of current students, parents, teachers, and community members, recommended naming the new football field for the late Tommy Baker, beloved Cherokee High School student for whom the existing field at Cherokee HS has been named since 1958. The stadium will be named Warrior Stadium. Work is underway to relocate the original marble sign for the current school, just outside the home field house near the track.
When and where will the commemorative bricks be installed?
The commemorative bricks will be placed in the walkway into the stadium on the home side, right in front of the wall that says Warrior Stadium. Installation in fall 2027 is projected.
Will the track and other outdoor areas be open to the community?
It is the policy of the Cherokee County Board of Education to make buildings, facilities, and grounds available to the community when not in use for school activities. The use of all CCSD facilities is governed by School Board Policy KG – Use of School Facilities. Individuals or groups interested in facility use should complete a Facility Use Application and submit their request to the school for review. Related Facility Use forms and guidance are located on the district web page (www.cherokeek12.net) under the Support Services Division, Facility Use Department.
What is included in the athletic facilities? What is the seating capacity of the football stadium and the gymnasium?
The athletic facilities comprise 26,659 square feet and include:
Turf baseball, football, softball, and practice fields
4,500-seat Football Stadium
Home and Visitor Field Houses
- Training Room (H)
- Team Meeting Room (H)
- Coaches Offices (H)
- Player Locker Room w/ Showers (H)
- Home and Visitor Concessions
3,000-seat Gymnasium
- Main Basketball Court
- 2 Practice Courts
- Two-Sided Video Board
- Concessions
- Athletic Locker Rooms
- PE Locker Rooms
- 2 Weight Rooms
- Wrestling Locker Room
- Wrestling Room
- Training Room
- Coaches Offices
Auxiliary Gymnasium
- 2 Basketball Courts
- 2 Volleyball Courts
- 12 Lane Range for JROTC
Baseball and Softball Press Box, Concessions, and Locker Rooms
4 Tennis Courts
Tennis Cooling Stations
2 Practice Fields
What is the seating capacity for the auditorium?
The auditorium can seat 1,000. The auditorium features dedicated dressing areas, a loading dock with a roll-up door for easy prop entrance, and a full production system.
How many acres is the school built on?
The site comprises 88 acres.
What is the total square footage?
The total square footage is 473,761.
The main academic building comprises 233,328 square feet over 3 floors and features 152 classrooms, 2 global learning labs, multiple collaboration spaces, a media center, a fine arts area that includes 3 art rooms and rooms for band and chorus, dedicated administrative and counseling support on all floors, and offices for 2 school resource officers.
The main academic building also provides spaces for our special education population, including independent inclusive adaptive spaces, a family living center, a dedicated playground, office space for itinerate and special education support staff, and a dedicated braille room.
The Career Technical and Agricultural Education building is just under 64,000 square feet and includes areas for the following classes:
- Agriculture with a greenhouse
- Automotive
- Business and Computer Science
- Construction
- Early Childhood
- Engineering Labs
- Family and Consumer Science
- Health Care Science
- JROTC with drill pad
- Metals
- Video Broadcasting
- Work-Based Learning+
How much did it cost to build a new CHS and how was it funded?
The Site Package had an authorized budget of $23.M and was completed under budget at $22.8M. The base bid for the new Cherokee HS project was $179,095,765, which is within the approved budget.
The majority of funding for the new high school is derived from the Education-SPLOST (Ed-SPLOST) referendum approved in 2021. The Cherokee County School District was eligible for a State Capital Outlay Reimbursement of $32,951,127, reducing the true cost to $168,944,638.
In addition to state reimbursement eligibility for the high school project, further cost savings will be realized by renovating Canton ES instead of constructing a new facility. This renovation approach is also eligible for approximately $2.4M in state reimbursement.
What is the enrollment capacity for CHS?
The maximum enrollment for CHS is 3,000 students, with an expected enrollment of 2,600 in Fall of 2026.