The school was built in 1971, and has its own student-run newspaper, the Iliad, and literary magazine, The Muses (formerly known as the Aurora).

McDowell High's yearbook finishes the trilogy of MHS publications, and is dubbed The Odyssey.

The first live performance of the McDowell High "Alma Mater" took place during a football game in the fall of 1976.

[4] McDowell High School sports teams are known as the Titans.

The women's team won the NC 4A state championship in 1991, and were runners-up in 2004.