First came Brainerd Mission the first educational center in the Brainerd area. Set up by Christian missionaries, the mission offered education and religious development to the Cherokee Indians of the surrounding countryside. Settlers found Brainerd to be a pleasing location and the community developed with the town of Chattanooga. From the very beginning, Brainerd has been one of the fastest growing areas of the city. The growing population of Brainerd gave rise to talk of a community high school. This became a certainty and on February 26, 1959, the contract was awarded. On April 30, 1959, ground-breaking ceremonies were held for the Chattanooga Public School System's first high school in eight years. Dreams become reality when Brainerd opened in the fall of 1960, 570 students enrolled, and Brainerd was on its way toward developing into Chattanooga's finest high school. Dr. George Mathis served as Brainerd's first principal. In his opening address to Brainerd High School's first group of students, Dr. Mathis said, "Brainerd Senior High must reflect the best efforts of our faculty, parents, pupils, and community if we are to be successful."