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Kaiserslautern High School

Kaiserslautern High School (KHS), formerly known as Rhine High School as well as Kaiserslautern American High School, is part of the Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS) system for Military dependents. KHS, along with Ramstein High School, are two DoDDS schools that serves the Kaiserslautern Military Community (KMC) in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The KMC is home to the largest American population overseas. The school, which serves approximately 800 students with 68 full-time educators (11:1), is located on the Vogelweh Military Complex.

KHS and all other DoDDS schools are operated Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). KHS is located in the Kaiserslautern District, one of the six European school districts run by DoDEA, and is one of the largest DoDDS schools by population in Europe.

Shortly after the development of Western Area Command (WACOM) in 1952, when Americans took over the western area of Germany from the French, KHS was housed in a converted apartment building. On March 12, 1953, the school moved into an old hospital building and expanded continuously over the years.

From 1953 to 1958, the school included a dormitory for approximately 150 French and German students. The school was originally known as Rhine High, not being referred to as "KAHS" until the early sixties, and "KHS" fairly recently. The school grew quickly, in 1982 KHS (with an enrollment of more than 1600 students) was the largest military-operated high school outside the continental US.

Kaiserslautern High School's enrollment has increased due to the relocation of military forces in Europe. Nevertheless, KHS is known for providing excellent education and has a graduation rate of over 85%. When compared to other DoDEA schools, KHS ranks first in standardized test scores. With an annual tuition of approximately $26,000, KHS is also a rather expensive institution (due to being considered a private school). However, dependents of the military, Department of Defense contractors, NATO members and retired military dependents are exempt from paying.

KHS is fully accredited by the North Central Association for Accreditation (NCAA) and AdvancEd/COGNIA. The school now falls under district accreditation with The Europe East district. Every five years the school is visited by AdvancEd/COGNIA to assess the success of the school's individual school improvement plan. The professional and auxiliary staff members at the school complete an in-depth report which addresses one affective and one cognitive area that the school has chosen to address in an outcomes-based school improvement plan. This self-study is submitted to the accrediting bodies for their review and evaluation.

In 2012, Barriett Smith replaced Jennifer Beckwith as principal. Smith transferred from Ramstein High School, one of the largest schools in the DoDDS system. Smith was replaced by Jackie Ferguson. Ferguson was Principal for one year (2019–2020), after which she transferred to become Kadena AB Community Superintendent. She was replaced by Jason James, starting in fall 2020. After James' contract had expired in 2023, Susan Paul replaced Jason James as principal starting in the school year of 2023-24. Paul transfred from the nearby Kaiserslautern Middle School. James transitioned to take Paul's place as principal of the middle school, in part to lead the school into its transition into a 21st century school, as well as the ground stages for the construction of a new building for the middle school.

Campus

KHS currently comprises one main building with four different wings from A1-D2. Attached to the school is the raider gym as well as a workout/weight room.

Along with the gym, the school also has a tennis court, a softball field, a football stadium, a shooting range for JROTC, and music rooms with practice rooms; for their orchestra, Band, choir, piano and other music classes.

Schedules

KHS runs on a two-day block schedule (red: 1-4, and white: 5-7 + advisory), each day having four classes 85 minutes long. The first period starts at 8:20 AM and instructional periods end at 3:00 PM each day. All students are required to take four years of English, four years of mathematics, three years of science, three years of a social-studies-based course, one year of computer technical education, two consecutive years of a foreign language, one year of fine arts, three semesters of physical education, and one semester of health. The current graduation requirement is a GPA of 2.0 as well as 26 credits.

Demographics

Seniors 128
Juniors 176
Sophomores 169
Freshmen 199
Staff 72

Sports

During the school year, KHS sports teams compete in many competitions against schools in the DoDEA Europe East District and other non-DoD related schools. All teams compete in the European Championships at the end of each season.

Fall season (September – November)
- Golf (boys, girls)
- Volleyball (girls)
- Football (boys, girls)
- Cross Country (boys, girls)
- Tennis (boys, girls)
- Cheerleading (boys, girls)
- Swimming (boys, girls)
Winter season (November – February)
- Basketball (boys, girls)
- Cheerleading (boys, girls)
- Wrestling (boys, girls)
- Swimming (boys, girls)
Spring season (March–May)
- Soccer (boys, girls)
- Track and Field (boys, girls)
- Baseball (boys)
- Softball (girls)

Feeding schools

Vogelweh Elementary School
Kaiserslautern Elementary School
Kaiserslautern Middle School

Notable alumni

Alonzo Babers, two-time Olympic gold medalist, winning gold in the 400 meters and the 4 × 400 meters relay at the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Don Baumgartner, civil servant who earned the Department of the Army Superior Civilian Service Award for his time in Afghanistan.
Boris Byrd, former professional football player in the NFL.
Robert Keeley, owner of Keeley Electronics, a guitar effects pedal manufacturer.
Brett Paesel, actress and author who played in Top Girls and was a recurring cast member in Amazon Studios’ Transparent. She was also a recurring cast member on Mr. Show with Bob and David.
Scott Ritter, former United Nations Weapons Inspector and convicted sex offender
Kamiko Williams, former professional basketball player in the WNBA.

Notable guest speakers

Umut Balli, spokesman for the Republican People's Party (Turkey)
Robert Gates, intelligence analyst and university president who served as the 22nd United States secretary of defense from 2006 to 2011; spoke at the graduation ceremony for the 2010 graduating class.
Gen. Sir John Hackett, Australian-born British soldier, painter, university administrator, and author of the novels The Third World War, August 1985 and The Third World War: The Untold Story; spoke at the school in 1984.
Luis Robles, former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. Robles holds the MLS record for most consecutive regular season starts with 183, spanning September 2012 to May 2018.
Josh Simpson, former professional soccer player who is currently the president of Canadian Premier League team Pacific FC.
Chuck Yeager, United States Air Force officer, flying ace, and record-setting test pilot who in October 1947 became the first pilot in history confirmed to have exceeded the speed of sound in level flight; spoke at the graduation ceremony for the 1988 graduating class.