Principal Sonya Allen: Celebrating Excellence and Looking Ahead

As I begin my third year as principal of Columbus High School, I continue to be incredibly proud of our students and all they accomplish. The Class of 2026 truly embodied our motto, “Be your best at CHS,” leaving behind a remarkable legacy of academic achievement, athletic excellence, leadership, and character.

The Class of 2026 distinguished itself on the field and in the classroom. Our senior athletes contributed to GHSA state championships in Game Day Cheer and Boys Cross Country, an individual state wrestling championship, and state runner-up finishes in Girls Cross Country, Boys Tennis, and Boys Golf. Thirteen student-athletes committed to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level, including four at Division I institutions, earning a combined $584,591 in first-year athletic scholarships.

Academically, our graduates competed with the very best students across the country. Eighty-five seniors were accepted to the University of Georgia and 20 to Georgia Tech, while others earned admission to Stanford, Yale, Penn, Duke, Northwestern, UVA, Johns Hopkins, Emory, Georgetown, Davidson, Spelman, Auburn, Clemson, Mercer, Tuskegee, SCAD, and many other outstanding institutions.

The class also included five National Merit Scholarship winners, three QuestBridge Scholars, a Gates Scholar, a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholar, and an Amazon Future Engineer Scholar. In addition, 164 seniors—64% of the graduating class—qualified for HOPE or Zell Miller Scholarships. Altogether, the Class of 2026 earned an extraordinary $14,097,864 in scholarships.

Building on Our Success

As we celebrate these accomplishments, we are equally excited about what lies ahead at Columbus High School.

This year, we launched our new Law Pathway, providing students the opportunity to complete three courses and earn certification as a paralegal. Combined with our newly constructed courtroom, this program will provide students with valuable, real-world experiences designed to prepare them for success in college and their future careers.

We are also thrilled to celebrate our latest recognition from U.S. News & World Report: Columbus High School is ranked #2 in Georgia and #70 in the nation, an eight-place improvement nationally from last year.

Achievements like these are made possible by the commitment of our students, faculty, families, alumni, and community. We especially recognize the tremendous impact of the Columbus High School Alumni Association and look forward to continuing this important partnership.