Milton High School lies in the shadows of metropolitan Atlanta within the city of Alpharetta, Georgia-a few blocks away from Main Street, USA When Principal W. T. Harrison rang the bell in 1921 to begin the first day of classes at the school serving all of Milton County, children and youth in grades one  through eleven came running. There were no buses or school lunches-not even central heating or plumbing. With the merger of Milton and Fulton counties in 1932, improvements began at a rapid pace.

Due to the initiative of the Fulton farmers of America, a cannery operated during the summers on the Milton Campus. An authentic log cabin-also a FAA project-still stands as a memorial to our heritage.

The 50s brought more positive changes and an elementary school allowed Milton to be home for grades eight through twelve. The addition of a concrete football stadium drew the entire community on Friday nightspot cheer for the Milton Eagles! The 70s represented a time of tremendous economic and social transition for Alpharetta and Milton High School. Additions to the original building included a new cafeteria, library and front office. Tapped as Fulton County’s first comprehensive high school in the 1980s, programs began for learners with all exceptionalities, abilities and interests along with the opening of a middle school to meet specialized needs of youngsters in grades six through eight.

As the 1990s rolled in, an enlarged modernized Milton High School (encompassing the MHS Center for the Arts, a new greenhouse, music and the health/physical education facilities) established a stellar reputation for strong community ties, presenting a broad and relevant curriculum supported by state-of-the-art technology and a caring spirit. Then, Milton High School embarked on yet another construction project of a state-of-the-art science wing, an enlargement of the school cafeteria, and renovations to the front office.

In the 1997-98 school year, Milton was named a Georgia School of Excellence and a Blue Ribbon Nominee. In the 1998-99 school year, the US News and World Report named Milton High School an outstanding high school, a model of excellence. Milton continued to be a vital part of the Fulton County School System characterized by economic and geographic diversity. Undergirded by its long-time history representing the best of yesterday’s rural Georgia, this sprawling comprehensive high school became a unique and warm blend of the old and new.

With the new millenium came increasing numbers of students and new ideas about how best to serve young people whose adult lives will be spent in the 21st century. How things have changed! Unlike the schools which prepared most graduates of the 30's and 40's for jobs right out of high school, we're now challenged to prepare students for a world changing so rapidly that current graduates need to be prepared for careers which didn't even exist when they were in high school. Our need to expand again was in conflict with our land locked campus in the heart of Alpharetta. After much discussion, the Fulton County Board of Education decided to build a new school.

We asked ourselves, "What can we do to reach our students; to prepare them to be problem solvers, innovators and creative thinkers for this new century while preserving the Milton spirit of community?" Our academy model was born. The new campus was built to conform to our innovative model. Based on research from schools around the nation, the academy model provides opportunities for more in depth and hands-on learning while maintaining our strong academic reputation.