Morgantown High School is a public high school in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. It is one of three secondary schools in the Monongalia County School District. Athletic teams compete as the Morgantown Mohigans in the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission as a member of the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference.
In addition to sections of Morgantown, it serves Star City."Zoning Map." Star City. Retrieved on November 16, 2018."Morgantown HS Overall Zone " and "Morgantown HS with Star City ." – Derived from the Monongalia County School District Mapping program. Monongalia County Schools. Retrieved on November 16, 2018.
Background The institution has existed since 1883, and has operated on its current campus since 1927. Students largely come from one of the three feeder schools, South Middle School, Suncrest Middle School, or St. Francis de Sales Central Catholic. As of the 2023–2024 school year, it had an enrollment of 1,824 students, the largest in the state of West Virginia.
Among the school's student activities are over 20 varsity sports.
Morgantown High offers 23 Advanced Placement classes.
Fine arts The Morgantown High School Red & Blue Marching Band has performed in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in November 2009, the 2013 Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena, California, and the 2014 National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade in Washington, D.C. In December 2016, the band represented West Virginia in the 75th Anniversary Commemoration Parade of Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii. In April 2023, the band performed in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom amusement park located in Orlando, Florida. In April 2025, the band received first place in the 4A concert band class in the Smoky Mountain Music Festival in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
Athletics Morgantown High School is the home of the Mohigans, the name of a non-existent Native American tribe whose name is a combination of the words "Morgantown (MO) High (HIG) Annual (AN)", the name of the school's original yearbook, originally created by an ancestor of Puderbaugh's (a prominent family in Morgantown). The Native American mascot and logo were adopted because of the close relation to the name Mohican, an actual Native American tribe.
In July 2020, a petition was launched to change the school mascot, logo, and majorette uniforms that include a variation of a traditional Native American headdress, on the grounds that it is an outdated caricature of Native American people. Counter-petitions, demanding the caricature remain, as well as petitions to change the MHS mascot to the Mothman, were also launched.
Rivalry Morgantown High School and University High School have had a football rivalry known as the "MoHawk Bowl" since 1947. Morgantown leads the series 58–13–3, and has won 3 in a row.
State championships Morgantown High School's athletic programs are well represented at the state level. MHS has produced over 60 West Virginia State Championships in multiple sports.
State championships State runners-up Sport Year(s) Year(s) Boys' cross country 1959, 1960, 1985, 1989, 2016, 2017, 2019 1984 Girls' cross country 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2020, 2021 2001, 2003, 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 Football 1927, 1983, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2025 1971, 1998 Golf 1976 1974, 2005 Girls' soccer 2011, 2019 2001 Boys' basketball 2016, 2022, 2023, 2024 1956, 2021 Girls' basketball 1977, 1990, 1992, 1993, 2005, 2007, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2023 1983, 1989, 2003, 2006, 2022, 2024 Baseball 1976, 2025, 2026 Boys' swimming 2002, 2003 Girls' swimming 2007, 2011, 2012 2004, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2021, 2022 Boys' tennis 1996, 1997 Girls' tennis 2019 Boys' track 1940 Girls' track 2000, 2012, 2017 2013, 2018, 2021, 2024 Boys' lacrosse 1998, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2023 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2011, Girls' lacrosse 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2017 1998, 2012, 2015 Volleyball 2023 2024
Awards and recognition Morgantown High School has been highly ranked in school rankings. According to Niche, in 2023 it was ranked the top public high school in West Virginia and was ranked the second best high school in West Virginia in 2024 by U.S. News & World Report.
In popular culture Morgantown High School appears in the video game Fallout 76, set in West Virginia.
Notable alumni Ralph Albertazzie, former Air Force One pilot Earl E. Anderson, Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps (1971–1972) Joseph E. Antonini, former CEO of Kmart Carey Bailey, football coach Thomas W. Bennett, conscientious objector and Medal of Honor recipient Terry Bowden, football coach Tommy Bowden, football coach Wesley G. Bush, former CEO of Northrop Grumman Emily Calandrelli, science TV host on Xploration Station and Bill Nye Saves the World Thomas Canning, composer Curt Cignetti, college football head coach, currently at Indiana University Chaim Gingold, game designer Charles Wesley Godwin, country music artist Charles Harold Haden II, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia Jay Jacobs, color analyst on MSNsportsNET.com Lawrence Kasdan, film producer, director, screenwriter Don Knotts, actor Chelsea Malone, singer and Miss West Virginia 2015 David Newbold, comic book artist Asra Nomani, author Elliott Portnoy, attorney and chief executive of the law firm SNR Denton Rodney Pyles, member of the West Virginia House of Delegates David Selby, actor Michael Tomasky, journalist, author, editor in chief of Democracy quarterly journal Charles M. Vest, former president of MIT Rania Zuri, book desert advocate
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