• A Brief History

     
    Douglass High School was built during segregation and was Loudoun County's first and only Black high school from 1941 until 1968, when segregated education ended in the county.
     
    For years, delegations of Black Loudoun parents and patrons met with the Loudoun County School Board to request adequate facilities and additional teachers for their children.  They were repeatedly told there were no funds to purchase land, while funds were found to purchase additional land for White schools.  Undeterred, the parents worked together and, with the help of Jeanes Supervisor, Gertrude Alexander, formed the County-Wide League in 1938 to consolidate and strengthen their efforts.   The community raised $4,000 through donations, bake sales, and the assistance of William “Willie” Hall, who obtained a loan so that a school site could be secured.  With money in hand, the League was able to negotiate and purchase the land on which the school now sits from William S. Gibbons, to build an accredited high school. The League hired well-known civil rights attorney Charles Hamilton Houston to help persuade Loudoun County officials to allocate funds for the new school.  The School Board agreed to fund the high school if the League sold the land to the School Board for $1.
     
    The original building, constructed in 1941, consisted of four classrooms. There have been two subsequent additions. In 1950, a science laboratory, home economics suite, and five classrooms were added. In 1960, a gymnasium, shop, cafeteria, and additional classrooms were built.  
     
     PRINCIPALS  DATES
     Mr. George Liverpool  1941 - 1948
     Mr. Ulysses Oliver  1949 - 1951
    Mr. Stephen Sydnor  1952 - 1963
      Mr. James Woodson  1964 - 1968
     Mr. James McBride  1968 - 1969
     Mr. Weldon Reeves  1971 - 1975
     Mr. Frederick Hutchison  1976 - 1977
    Mr. Joel Galperin  1977 - 1978
     Mr. Wayne Griffith  1978 - 1979
     Mr. Terrence Hill  1979 - 1985
     Mrs. Laurraine Landolt  1985 - 2000
     Dr. John Robinson  2000 - 2016
      Mrs. Marianne Turner  2016 - 2019
    Mrs. Stacie Mininberg 2019 - 2021

     

     
    The building has provided service to many different populations over the years.
     
    Timeline School Name History
    1941-1968  Douglass High School
    The school was built during segregation and was Loudoun County's first and only high school for black students. Loudoun  County did not fully integrate public schools until the 1968-1969 school year. 
     
    1968-1969 Broad Run Annex
    The school served 8th and  9th grade students who would be attending Broad Run High School for the 1969-1970 school year.
     
    1969-1971 School Board Annex
    The school was used as administrative offices.
     
    1971-1976 Leesburg Middle School
    The school served 6th and 7th grader students from Leesburg, Middleburg, and Lucketts.
     
    1976 Douglass Community School
    After middle school students moved to other schools, Douglass became a school with multiple programs: an alternative high school, a special education center, and the Douglass Community Center.
     
    1991 Douglass School
    Housed at Douglass during this time were Douglass Alternative School with middle and high school programs, English as a Second Language (ESL), Early Childhood Special Education, Substance Abuse Education, Insight, and the Douglass Community Center.
     
    1993 Douglass School
    Starting Toward Excellence in Preschool (STEP) classes joined the above programs.
     
    1994 Douglass School
    Head Start preschool classes joined the above programs.
     
    1996 Douglass School
    Head Start classes were relocated from Douglass.
     
    2000 Douglass School
    The Middle School Transitions Program and the General Educational Development (GED) Program were added.
     
    2001 Douglass School
    The ESL, STEP, and Early Childhood Special Education classes are relocated and Douglass becomes the center for Secondary Alternative Programs for LCPS.
     
    2004-2014 Douglass School
    The Saving 9 program is added to support 9th grade students in jeopardy of failing and potentially becoming dropouts.
     
    2016 Douglass School Second Chance program is added to support students who have struggles with regular high school programs.
    2021 Douglass School At the end of the 2020-2021 school year, the building closed for renovation. The renovated Douglass School is scheduled to reopen in 2023.