Frederick Douglass High School (Baltimore, Maryland) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Frederick Douglass High School |
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| Address | |
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2301 Gwynns Falls Parkway
, 21217
United States
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| Coordinates | 39°18′53″N 76°39′18″W / 39.3148°N 76.6549°W |
| Information | |
| School type | Public, comprehensive |
| Motto | "Continuing the Tradition with Pride, Dignity, and Excellence" |
| Founded | 1883 |
| School district | Baltimore City Public Schools |
| Superintendent | Sonja Brookins Santelises |
| School number | 450 |
| Principal | Craig Rivers |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 886 (2014) |
| Area | Urban |
| Color(s) | Dark blue and orange |
| Mascot | The Mighty Ducks |
| Team name | The Mighty Ducks (boys) Lady Ducks (girls) |
Frederick Douglass High School is an important public high school in Baltimore, Maryland. It opened in 1883. The school was first called the Colored High and Training School. It is one of the oldest high schools in the U.S. created just for African American students.
Before schools were mixed (this is called desegregation), Douglass and Paul Laurence Dunbar High School were the only two high schools in Baltimore for African American students. Douglass served students from West Baltimore.
A very famous person, Thurgood Marshall (1908–1993), went to Douglass. He graduated in 1926. Marshall later became a Supreme Court Justice. He helped end school segregation in the famous Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education (1954). The Supreme Court decided that having separate schools for different races was not fair.
In 2008, most students at Douglass were African American. Many students were from families with lower incomes. At that time, it was one of the lowest-performing schools in Maryland.
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School History
Frederick Douglass High School was founded in 1883. It was named the "Colored High and Training School." This was because the school system in Baltimore was separated by race. Six years later, the school moved to East Saratoga Street.
Frederick Douglass (1808-1895), a famous leader, spoke at the school's dedication. For about 30 years, this was the only high school for African American students in Baltimore. Then, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School opened in 1931.
Moving Locations
In 1900, the school moved to Dolphin Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. In the same year, a training course for African American elementary school teachers started at Douglass High School. This course later became Coppin State University, a college for Black students. By 1907, Coppin became its own separate school.
The high school moved again in 1925. A new building was built just for the school. It was on Calhoun and Baker Streets. This new building was officially named "Frederick Douglass High School." For the first time, Black students in Baltimore had their own gymnasium, library, and cafeteria.
Since 1954, after Baltimore City public schools started mixing students of all races, Douglass High has been on Gwynns Falls Parkway. It is across from the former Western High School building. The campus of Coppin State University is also across the street.
Documentary Film
In 2008, Frederick Douglass High School was featured in an HBO documentary. It was called Hard Times at Douglass High: A No Child Left Behind Report Card. The film showed the school's history and its challenges. It also showed how the school worked to follow the No Child Left Behind Act.
Student Information
In 2007, Douglass High School had 1,151 students. About 99% of the students were African American. More than half of the students (53%) qualified for free lunch. This means their families had low incomes.
The school had 59 teachers. This means there was one teacher for every 20 students.
Here is a breakdown of students by grade:
- Grade 9: 491 students
- Grade 10: 233 students
- Grade 11: 212 students
- Grade 12: 215 students
Famous People Who Went to Douglass
Many notable people have graduated from Frederick Douglass High School.
- Mark Andrews (graduated 1992), musician known as Sisqó
- Sallie Blair, jazz singer
- Clarence W. Blount, first African American majority leader in the Maryland State Senate
- Lucy Diggs Slowe, a founder of Alpha Kappa Alpha and first Dean of Women at Howard University. She was also a tennis champion.
- Frank Boston, member of the Maryland House of Delegates
- James "Buster" Brown (graduated 1932), tap dancer
- Roger W. Brown (graduated 1959), Baltimore City Circuit Court judge
- Nellie A. Buchanan (graduated 1917), taught at Douglass for many years
- E. Franklin Frazier (graduated 1912), American sociologist
- Cab Calloway (graduated 1925), jazz singer and bandleader
- Paula Campbell (graduated 2001), recording artist
- Harry A. Cole, first African American elected to the Maryland General Assembly
- Isaiah Dixon (graduated 1941), member of the Maryland House of Delegates
- Ethel Ennis, jazz singer
- Elton Fax, illustrator
- Dru Hill, R&B music group
- Lillie Mae Carroll Jackson, civil rights activist and founder of Baltimore's NAACP branch
- Terry Johnson, singer and music producer for The Flamingos
- Bill Kenny, lead singer of The Ink Spots
- Labtekwon, hip hop artist
- Thurgood Marshall (graduated 1925), U.S. Supreme Court Justice
- Kweisi Mfume, U.S. Congressman and former president of the NAACP
- Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr., civil rights activist
- Juanita Jackson Mitchell, civil rights activist and lawyer
- Parren Mitchell, U.S. Congressman
- Margaret "Peggy" Murphy, first Black woman to lead the Baltimore City Delegation
- Henry E. Parker, Connecticut State Treasurer
- Alfred Prettyman, philosopher
- Pete Rawlings, chairman in the Maryland House of Delegates
- Bishop L. Robinson, first African American police commissioner of Baltimore
Notable Teachers
- G. David Houston, Professor of English at Howard University
