Clay-Chalkville High School is a four-year public high school in the Birmingham, Alabama suburb of Clay. It is the second largest of the Jefferson County Board of Education's fourteen high schools. School colors are navy blue and silver, and the athletic teams are called the Cougars. CCHS competes in AHSAA Class 6A athletics. The school was recognized by "Niche.com" as the 42nd "Best High School for Athletes in Alabama" among the top 50 in 2020. CCHS was one of only two Jefferson County System schools designed among the state's more than 300 high schools.
Student profile
Enrollment in grades 9-12 for the 2013-14 school year is 1,333 students. Approximately 56% of students are African-American, 38% are white, 4% are Hispanic, and 2% Asian-American. Roughly 50% of students qualify for free or reduced price lunch. CCHS has a graduation rate of 86%. Approximately 84% of its students meet or exceed state proficiency standards in mathematics, and 81% meet or exceed standards in reading. The average ACT score for CCHS students is 21 and the average SAT Score is 1480.
Campus
The CCHS campus was constructed in 1996 and is located on the border of Clay and Pinson. It consists of a one-level building with 53 classrooms, four computer labs, four science labs, a choral room, a band room, a media center, a fine arts room, a video production studio, a lunch room, practice and spectator gymnasiums, a 650-seat auditorium, and 766 spaces for parking. The school has fields for baseball, softball, football, and practice. Stadium seating was removed from the old Shades Valley High School and repaired for use at CCHS. The 9,880 sq. ft. media center is a focal point for the school and includes a time capsule placed by the Class of 2001. It overlooks an outdoor amphitheatre through a curved wall of windows. The auditorium has a fully complemented stage with fly tower and scene room.
CCHS has won state championships in baseball and football. It has won six regional championships in football: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015.
Football
When football head coach Toney Pugh left in December 1998 to start Oak Mountain High School, former Erwin and Mortimer Jordan head coach Hal Riddle came in to lead the Cougar football program. In his first season, 1999, Riddle carried the Cougars to the Class 6A football Super 6 at Legion Field, beating Robert E. Lee-Montgomery, 30-27, in overtime for the school's first Alabama High School Athletic Association state championship. A first-half field goal by Matt Briggs stands as the longest field goal in the Class 6A title game. The Cougars' biggest rivalry began the same season, as CCHS beat Hewitt-Trussville High School in their first meeting. The Cougars would win their second Alabama High School Athletic Association Class 6A football title in 2014 by beating the Saraland Spartans in a competitive 36-31 game at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. The victory capped a 15-0 season which ended with the Cougars being ranked 35th in the nation by Max Preps and being featured on the website's Tour of Champions. In 2011, the CCHS football team, undefeated at the time, was caught up in controversy when it was accused of using an ineligible player for nine games and therefore had to forfeit those games. It appealed the forfeits to the Alabama High School Athletic Association, but the appeal was denied. It later took the case to the Jefferson County Circuit Court, where it was granted an injunctive relief and allowed back in the AHSAA playoffs. However, the Etowah County School System challenged the court's decision in order to put Gadsden City High School, who was the 4th seed in region 7 when CCHS forfeited the wins, back in the playoffs. Gadsden City ended up competing instead of CCHS, and was shut out in the first round game against Mountain Brook High School 0-21.
Other sports
In 2003, head coach Jeff Mauldin and the Cougars' baseball team won the 6A state championship in Montgomery. The Cougars returned to the title game in 2005 and 2006, but finished second. The boys' tennis team placed first in the Jefferson County Tournament in the past two years. Women's and men's basketball teams have also advanced to post season games throughout the school's short history. The school's softball team has won numerous area and regional tournaments and was led by Coach CJ Hawkins to the state championship game in 2004 and the state quarterfinals in 2005.
