The Mount Zion community has a long tradition of providing education to its children dating back to 1880. Dr. James Mitchell, working with the Methodist Episcopal Conference and the local citizens opened the first school in Mount Zion in December of 1880 for its first semester with 60 students and 2 teachers. Local citizens donated time, money, land, and resources to make this possible. Starting with a 3 room schoolhouse on 5 acres of land donated by Mr. Joseph Entrekin, the school flourished and by 1918 Mount Zion Seminary had expanded to 20 acres of land and had increased its enrollment to over 100 students. In 1920 the Mount Zion Seminary became an accredited institution. The enrollment had grown to over 200 students and the campus had three buildings with boarding facilities for both girls and boys. Building projects continued over the next several years with a gym, vocational/agriculture department, and more classrooms being added.
In 1937 the Mount Zion Seminary Board of Trustees turned over a portion of the land, all of the buildings, and operation of the Mount Zion Seminary to the local school trustees of the Turkey Creek School District. In September of 1939, these trustees deeded the property to the Carroll County School Board of Education. A new elementary school was constructed on the site of the original seminary building in the late 1950s. During the 1960-61 school year, a fire destroyed the shop, the gym, and the high school classrooms. At that time it seemed likely that the students in Mount Zion would be moved to other existing schools in the county, however, the community rose up again worked tirelessly to provide the things needed to keep the high school students in Mount Zion. The community rebuilt the gym and maintained the Mount Zion High School football field. In 1977 a new Mount Zion High School was constructed. This building housed several different combinations of students from grades 6-12 over the years. In 2007 a new Mount Zion Elementary was opened. In January of 2012 Mount Zion High School opened the doors of the new school leaving Mount Zion Middle School students in the original high school building.
Mount Zion has the distinction of having the oldest continuous school in Carroll County. The community has always placed great importance on maintaining the legacy and tradition of the Mount Zion Eagles. Mount Zion Eagles have continued to soar through adversity. We are resilient Eagles who fly high and work hard. Mount Zion Middle School is very proud to be a part of the rich history of education in the Mount Zion community and we are committed to providing premier educational opportunities for future generations of Eagles. We are Eagles and we will continue to Rise Up!
Information for this page was taken from a history of Mount Zion Schools written by Mrs. Lanette Horton. Materials and pictures were provided from the collection of Mr. Jack Dorsey.