Wilson High School is one of three high schools in
Florence Public School District One in
Florence, South Carolina. Wilson is the only
high school in the
Pee Dee region that offers the
International Baccalaureate diploma.
History
Wilson was founded in 1869 by Freedmen’s Bureau as a school for African-American children. The school opened on the corner of Palmetto and Dargan Streets in downtown Florence. There are several theories and rumors as to how Wilson got its name. Some say the school was named after future Vice-President
Henry Wilson, then a Massachusetts congressman and sponsor of the Bureau. Others believe that a local educator, Josiah E. Wilson, lent his name to the school.
The school has existed in four different locations. Since 1982, Wilson has been on Old Marion Highway northeast of Florence, after having moved from a building on North Irby Street in downtown Florence.
In 1996 Wilson became the second International Baccalaureate school in South Carolina. The first IB class graduated in 1999, and a class has been graduated in each year since. The first class to complete both the Middle-Years Program and the IB program graduated in 2002.
Achievements
Academics
Wilson's
The Citizen and the Constitution debate team has won the annual state competition in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2010.Wilson has won the Pee Dee Regional
Academic Challenge AAA/AAAA championship eleven out of the past twelve years and the 2010 State Championship.