Founded in 1870 as the Preparatory High School for Colored Youth, Washington, D.C. ‘s Dunbar High School is the first public high school for Black students in the United States. Originally meeting in the basement of the 15th Street Presbyterian Church, it was later renamed in 1916 after the renowned African American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar.
During the period of the 1870 to 1950s, African Americans were barred from most professional opportunities and higher education faculties, Dunbar attracted highly credentialed black educators with degrees from elite universities like Harvard, Yale, and Dartmouth.
Despite being chronically underfunded during the Jim Crow era, the school regularly sent a majority of its graduates to top colleges and universities, establishing a national reputation for academic excellence. Dumbar produced many historic trail blazers, including the first Black presidential cabinet member, the first Black U.S. Army general, and several of the lawyers who argued Brown v. Board of Education.
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