George Moses Horton Middle School is a small middle school in Chatham County, North Carolina, with approximately 400 students in grades 5-8. The school has several buildings connected with covered walkways, including a wing for the Horton Historical Society. Our school is named for George Moses Horton, who was the first black poet published in the southern United States. George was born an enslaved person, but he was freed after the Civil War. He taught himself to read, and he published his first book before he learned how to write. Horton Middle School began as Pittsboro Colored School and then became Horton High School in 1934. In 1946, Chatham County decided to combine schools to get rid of the many one-teacher schools in the county, and Horton High School became one of the larger schools in the area. Horton High School became Horton Middle School in 1970 and welcomed all races of students. Today, the population of the school is diverse and changing as the area changes.