The earliest Kokomo High School found in records was in existence from about 1872 to 1916. The construction of the original Kokomo High School started in 1870 on the corner of Armstrong and Taylor with the first class commencing in 1872 according to a newspaper of that time. In 1898 the original high school burned down and a second building was built on the corner of Market and Sycamore. In 1914 the high school was again destroyed by fire. The third campus of Kokomo High School, first known as Howard County's Central School Building, was dedicated on October 19, 1917. Located at 303 East Superior Street, this building now houses Central Middle School. The current campus of Kokomo High School was built in 1968 Previously, the downtown campus was known as Kokomo High School and the south campus was named Haworth High School. However, in 1983 the Kokomo-Center Township Board of Trustees decided that two high schools were no longer necessary. Consequently, in 1984 Haworth High School was closed and the former Haworth students began attending Kokomo High School. After the reorganization, Kokomo High School was split into two campuses. The downtown campus had 8th and 9th grade students, and the south campus had 10th, 11th, and 12th graders. After the south campus was expanded, the south campus became the primary location and served 9th to 12th grade students. The downtown campus later became Central Middle School in 1998. Kokomo High School still has visible reminders of the building's history, including a framed portrait of C.V. Haworth and a case featuring Haworth's mascot, the Haworth Huskies. The C.V. Haworth award is also given to Seniors who show "exceptional ability in writing and speaking". The C.V. Haworth Memorial Scholarship Fund is available to capable seniors from Kokomo High School who are entering a bachelor's degree program at Indiana University at either the Kokomo or Bloomington campuses.
Extracurricular Activities
Arts
Kokomo High School is host to a variety of visual and performing arts programs. Within the school are ceramic, drawing, painting and multimedia studios. Students' works are displayed in the Student Gallery. Seniors submit art for the annual senior art show in May. Performing arts are enjoyed in diverse student activities. Kokomo High School hosts six choirs: Chorale, Karisma, Choraliers, Vocal Jazz, Chamber, and Advanced Chamber. Fall Marching Band serves as the school's most popular extracurricular activity, placing second at Indiana's State Fair Band Day in 2017. Fall Color Guard and Winter Guard are similarly popular. Extracurricular music activities include Jazz Band, Winter Wind Ensemble, and Indoor Percussion. Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Percussion, and Elementary and Advanced Orchestra comprise the school's music classes.
Athletics
Kokomo High School offers more than 20 sports under the Indiana High School Athletic Association. It is a member of the North Central Conference. Boys' teams compete under the title of Wildkats; girls' team compete as Lady Kats. Fall sports offered by the school include Boys' and Girl's Cross Country, Boys' and Girls' Soccer, Boys' Tennis, Girls' Golf, Boys Football, Girls' Volleyball. Winter sports include Boys' and Girls' Basketball, Boys' and Girls' Swimming and Diving, and Boys' Wrestling Spring sports at Kokomo High School include Boys' Golf, Girls' Tennis, Boys' Baseball, Girls' Softball, Boys' and Girls' Track and Field, and Unified Track and Field. Cheerleading and Competitive Dance are available as a non-IHSAA club sport. In 2017, Kokomo High School's football team was the state runner-up in the IHSAA's Class 5A football. The competitive dance team also advanced to state finals for the 2017-2018 school year.
