# Nitro High School

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**Nitro High School** is a [public high school](/source/Public_high_school) in the city of [Nitro](/source/Nitro,_West_Virginia) in [Kanawha County, West Virginia](/source/Kanawha_County,_West_Virginia). It is one of eight public high schools in the Kanawha County School District.

## History

The current building was built in 1959 as Nitro Junior High School and expanded in 1966. Nitro Junior High School closed in 1992 and Nitro High School was relocated to the NJHS's former building and remains there today (after substantial renovation over the years). The former NHS building, located in the heart of the city's business district on 21st Street,[2] then became the Nitro Community Center and later was used by a local church. The church vacated the building in approximately 2020. After several years of abandonment and deterioration, the City of Nitro purchased the former NHS building in July 2025 with the intention of demolishing it and repurposing the property.[3]

## Performing arts

Nitro has three competitive [show choirs](/source/Show_choirs), the men's-only Tomcats, the women's-only Sophisticats and the mixed-gender Showcats, which are directed by Amy Smith and Assistant director Dylan Carpenter.[4]

## Notable alumni

- [J.R. House](/source/J.R._House), Major League Baseball catcher and coach[5]
- [Kathy Mattea](/source/Kathy_Mattea), Grammy award-winning country music artist
- [Lew Burdette](/source/Lew_Burdette), Major League Baseball pitcher

## References

1. ["NITRO HIGH SCHOOL"](https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=5400600&SchoolPageNum=4&ID=540060000426). National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 28, 2024.

1. ["Health Consultation: Dioxin in Dust in Schools and Community Center"](https://www.wvdhhr.org/RTIA/atsdr_documents/Nitro_School_Dioxin_HC_April-18-2007.pdf). *WV Dept of Health and Human Services*. April 18, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2021.

1. Hamilton, Luke (2025-07-16). ["City plans to tear down old high school building"](https://www.wsaz.com/2025/07/16/city-plans-tear-down-old-high-school-building/). *www.wsaz.com*. Retrieved 2025-10-23.

1. ["SCC: Viewing School - Nitro High School"](https://www.showchoir.com/choirs/school.php?id=401). *Show Choir Community*. Retrieved April 21, 2020.

1. writer, Rick Ryan Staff (25 August 2018). ["Prep football: 1998: The year Nitro passed all its tests"](https://www.wvgazettemail.com/sports/prep_sports/football/prep-football-the-year-nitro-passed-all-its-tests/article_ecda6804-e2ee-5d51-93f2-1a846d2c9b90.html). *Charleston Gazette-Mail*. Retrieved 5 April 2019.

## External links

- [Kanawha County Schools website](http://nhswv.com/)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Nitro High School](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitro_High_School) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitro_High_School?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.