Columbus High School (CHS) is a public high school located in Columbus, Georgia, United States. It serves as one of the Muscogee County School District's liberal arts magnet schools. It opened in 1890. In 2018, the school ranked second in the state of Georgia, 105th in the nation, and 21st among magnet schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. History Columbus High School began in 1890 at a building known as the Female Academy located at 10th Street and 2nd Avenue in downtown Columbus, Georgia. There were 20 students in the first graduating class in 1892, 3 boys and 17 girls. In 1898, the school moved to its first exclusive building (a two-story, red brick structure) at 11th Street and 4th Avenue and remained at that location until 1927. By that time, the graduating class had grown to a total of 90 students (28 boys and 62 girls). In the early 1900s, three alternative educational tracts were offered at CHS, college preparatory, classical and scientific. In 1913, the first COHISCAN, the CHS annual yearbook, was published. The name is derived from COlumbus HIgh SChool ANnual. In 1919, the school supported athletic teams including girls’ basketball team and boys’ football and basketball. In 1923, the “Blue Devil” name was first used when General John J. Pershing referred to a spirited football team playing against Phillips High School in Birmingham, Alabama. He stated that the team played like devils in winning the game. Previous to that time, several nicknames had been used for CHS sports teams, one of them was “Orange Avalanche.” In 1924, a bond referendum was approved to build a new high school. The 11th street location had become too small to accommodate the growing population of the city, especially after Camp Benning (now Fort Benning) brought an influx of new people to Columbus during and following World War I. Sixteen acres in Wildwood Park was selected as the site for the new location for Columbus High School. The respected New York Architectural firm of Starrett and van Vleck, working with local architects, designed the building and the surrounding area. The cornerstone was laid on September 2, 1925 at 1600 Cherokee Avenue and the dedication ceremony was held on September 16, 1926. The first graduating class from the new high school was in 1928. On June 12, 1981, the building was burned and it was later determined