Francis Scott Key High School (FSK or simply "Key") is a four-year public

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

in Union Bridge in

Carroll County, Maryland Carroll County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 172,891. Its county seat is Westminster. Carroll County is included in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is ...

, United States. The school is located near the west-central section of Carroll County.

About the school

Francis Scott Key High School was established in 1959 in

Union Bridge, Maryland Union Bridge is a town in Carroll County, Maryland, United States. The population was 936 at the 2020 census. Much of the town was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Union Bridge Historic District in 1994. Geography Union B ...

as part of the Carroll County Public School system. The school is named after

Francis Scott Key Francis Scott Key (August 1, 1779January 11, 1843) was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet from Frederick, Maryland, who wrote the lyrics for the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner". Key observed the British bombardment ...

, the Frederick County, Maryland native author of the

Star Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the bo ...

, the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...

for the United States. The building occupies and was built in 1959. The school celebrated their 50th Anniversary during the 2008-2009 school year.

Students

The student population at FSK steadily increased from 1993 to 2007, as shown by the list below. The graduation rate has fluctuated between 85% and 96% over the same time period. The student body is 12% minority as of 2021. Student population *2007 1,284 *2006 1,233 *2005 1,227 *2004 1,193 *2003 1,155 *2002 1,138 *2001 1,096 *2000 1,098 *1999 1,078 *1998 1,026 *1997 1,002 *1996 964 *1995 917 *1994 858 *1993 806 Some clubs and organizations are : Debate Team, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Academic Team (2006 county champions), SGA, Best Buddies, FFA, Robotics club, and Key Club.

Sports

The superintendent of Carroll County Public Schools announced an investigation into the school's boys lacrosse team on May 11, 2021, arising from a complaint of racism during a game with

Manchester Valley High School Manchester Valley High School is a high school located in Manchester, Carroll County, Maryland on the eastern coast of the United States. Manchester Valley is located at 3300 Maple Grove Road. The school mascot is the Maverick, and the school co ...

on May 10, 2021. Some Francis Scott Key players repeatedly hurled the "n-word" at a minority player for Manchester Valley, it was alleged. ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...

'' quoted the superintendent as saying, "we're not going to tolerate this ... it needs to stop permanently". Francis Scott Key High School has won the following state championships:

Volleyball

* 1977 B * 1978 B * 1980 C * 1986 C * 1996 1A * 2009 2A

Field Hockey

* 1993 1A * 1989 1A co-champions * 1986 C * 1978 B * 1977 B

Boys' Soccer

* 1985 - C * 1986 - C

Boys' Track & Field

* 1978 - B * 1987 - C * 1990 - 1A * 1991 - 1A * 1993 - 1A * 1996 - 1A * 1997 - 1A

Notable alumni

Guy Babylon Guy Babylon (December 20, 1956 – September 2, 2009) was an American keyboardist/composer, most noted for his work with Elton John. Babylon was born in New Windsor, Maryland. He attended Francis Scott Key High School before moving on to the ...

- musician, played for

Iron Butterfly Iron Butterfly is an American rock band formed in San Diego, California, in 1966. They are best known for the 1968 hit "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", providing a dramatic sound that led the way towards the development of hard rock and heavy metal music. ...

and

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

References and notes

External links

Francis Scott Key High School website

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{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1959 Public high schools in Maryland Carroll County Public Schools (Maryland) Union Bridge, Maryland 1959 establishments in Maryland