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| J.M. Tate High School | |
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| Location | |
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1771 Tate Road , Florida 32533-6472 United States | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public High School |
| Established | 1878 |
| Founder | James Madison Tate Sr. |
| School district | Escambia County School District |
| Principal | Laura Touchstone[1] |
| Teaching staff | 81.00 (FTE)[2] |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 2,156 (2023-2024)[2] |
| Student to teacher ratio | 26.62[2] |
| Colors | Crimson and Gray |
| Athletics | Wrestling, Football, Soccer, Tennis, Swim/Dive, Volleyball, Track, Baseball, Softball, Basketball, Cross Country |
| Mascot | Aggie (Horse) |
| Accreditation | Southern Association of Colleges and Schools/Florida Department of Education |
| Yearbook | The Tahisco |
| Website | https://www.escambiaschools.org/ths |
J.M. Tate High School is a publichigh school inCantonment, Florida, United States. The school is part of theEscambia County School District.
Tate High School was founded in 1878 by James Madison Tate Sr., aCivil Warveteran,minister and formerlawyer. The school was originally called Roberts High School and was one of the first high schools established in Escambia County. The original school building was one room with a sawdust floor; students sat on wooden benches. Initially, Tate taught all of the grades himself. Tate taught at Roberts High until 1913, when he retired.
In 1917, the James Madison Tate Sr. Agricultural School was completed. The school was a two-story brick building with eight classrooms. Establishment of the agricultural school advanced the agricultural programs already in place at the original Roberts High.
In 1927, O.A. Strange became principal of Tate High School. During his 24-year tenure as head of the school, 10 buildings were added to the campus and the school transformed from a small rural school to a modern high school.[3][unreliable source?]
During the early days of Tate High, there was no football equipment, so the school's main sports were basketball and baseball. Tate's baseball team has won seven state championships since 1960.[4] One of the school's most accomplished baseball players,Don Sutton, went on to major league fame with theLos Angeles Dodgers.
The football team won the 4A state championship in 1980[5] under coachCarl Madison.
The Tate softball team won the Florida Class 7A state championship in 2015 led by pitcher Tori Perkins.
In 2024, the varsity cheer squad won the FHSAA state championships.
Tate's marching band, the Showband of the South, won the first officialBands of America Grand National Championship, in 1980. The J.M. Tate Showband of the South has achieved straight superior ratings in their Marching Performance Assessments for 52 years, as of 2024.
Tate is also known for itsdrumline which has competed in annual world championship competitions inDayton, Ohio.[citation needed] The school'scolorguard is known as the "Tate Chaparrals." In 1989, the colorguard competed in the WGI Scholastic World Class Competition, winning first place.[citation needed]
The Tate High SchoolFFA chapter was founded in 1929. Agricultural education continues to remain a focal point of the school, and is widely considered to be one of the highest performing FFA chapters in theFlorida Panhandle.
 | This list of alumnimay not follow Wikipedia'sverifiability policy. Please helpimprove it by addingreliable sources for existing names which prove they are alumni. Unsourced names may be challenged and removed.(August 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
30°34′39″N87°18′03″W / 30.577426°N 87.300917°W /30.577426; -87.300917
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