History

CHASE Middle School is located in the southern part of Rutherford County, North Carolina.  CHASE Middle came about in Rutherford County Schools as a result of the middle school movement within North Carolina in the mid 1990’s.  The school building was approved in April of 1997 under superintendent Roger T. Petty.  The schools in this area at the time were mostly K-8 and the need for a middle school was recognized.  The name CHASE stands for:  Cliffside/Caroleen, Henretta/Harris, Avondale, Shiloh, Everyone else.  CHASE Middle School was established and welcomed its first students in the fall of 1998.  It became the new location for grades 6th through 8th in what is now known as the CHASE district.  Students began the school year split between two campuses, Tri-Community and Shiloh.  In January 1999 students returned from their Christmas break to the brand new CHASE Middle School building for the remainder of their year.  Upon the opening of CHASE Middle School, Shiloh Elementary’s K-5 students were sent to Harris Elementary and Tri-Community Elementary’s  K-5 students were split between Cliffside Elementary and Forrest Hunt Elementary, forever closing Shilo and Tri-Community.  CHASE Middle School was left with three elementary “feeder” schools:  Cliffside Elementary, Forrest Hunt Elementary, and Harris Elementary.  Today this public school is home to 500 students and operates on a traditional calendar school year. The students at CHASE Middle attend CHASE High School after they have successfully completed grades 6 through 8. The community offers scenic beauty with mountain views, well-maintained parks, and moderate temperatures year-round.  The community features many opportunities to grow in faith and give back through service to others.