Jefferson School
The name Jefferson School has a long association
with African American education in Charlottesville.
It was first used in the 1860s in a Freedmen's
Bureau school and then for a public grade school
by 1894. Jefferson High School opened here in
1926 as the city’s first high school for blacks, an
early accredited black high school in Virginia.
The facility became Jefferson Elementary School
in 1951. In 1958, some current and former Jefferson
students requested transfers to two white schools.
The state closed the two white schools. Their
reopening in 1959 began the process of desegre-
gation in Charlottesville. Jefferson School housed
many different educational programs after
integrating in 1965.
Marker is at the intersection of 4th Street NW and Commerce Street, on the left on 4th Street NW.
Courtesy hmdb.org
