N.C. Education Lottery marks opening of new $85M John A. Holmes High School in Edenton

EDENTON, N.C. — A nearly $85 million high school built to serve generations of Chowan County students is being celebrated in Edenton.

The North Carolina Education Lottery recently joined Edenton-Chowan Public Schools to commemorate the new John A. Holmes High School.

The 147,000-square-foot campus will serve approximately 600 students in grades nine through 12. It was constructed on the same site that has served Edenton students for generations.

The school includes specialized Career and Technical Education classrooms for agriculture, carpentry, culinary arts and health sciences. It also features a gymnasium and performing arts center.

The Broad Street façade reflects the colonial architecture of the original school built in the 1950s, while the student entrance features a more modern design.

Construction cost nearly $85 million, including $47.7 million from a lottery-funded Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund grant.

Principal Sonya Rinehart, a John A. Holmes graduate, helped oversee the reconstruction project before entering retirement after three decades of serving students.

“This building is not a replacement of our past, it is a tribute to it,” Rinehart said during a ceremony preceding a community open house.

Chowan County is one of 62 counties to receive money through the Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund. Lottery officials said the fund has provided $2.4 billion in grants benefiting 100 schools across North Carolina.