| Crispus Attucks High School | |
|---|---|
 Front and southern side of the school | |
| Location | |
 | |
1140 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. , , 46202 United States | |
| Coordinates | 39°46′58.39″N 86°10′11.78″W / 39.7828861°N 86.1699389°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Public high school |
| Established | 1927 |
| School district | Indianapolis Public Schools |
| Principal | Lauren Franklin |
| Faculty | 58.00[1] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 1,188 (2022–23[1]) |
| Color(s) | |
| Athletics conference | Independent |
| Team name | Tigers |
| Website | Official website |
Crispus Attucks High School | |
| Built | 1927 |
| Architect | Harrison & Turnock; Brown & Mick |
| Architectural style | Collegiate Gothic/Tudor Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 88003043[2] |
| Added to NRHP | January 4, 1989 |
Crispus Attucks High School (also known as Crispus Attucks Medical Magnet High School) is a public high school of Indianapolis Public Schools in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. Its namesake, Crispus Attucks (c.1723 – March 5, 1770), was an African American patriot killed during the Boston Massacre.[3]: 32 The school was built northwest of downtown Indianapolis near Indiana Avenue (the business and cultural hub of the city's African American community) and opened on September 12, 1927, when it was the only public high school in the city designated specifically for African Americans.
Despite the passage of federal and state school desegregation laws, Attucks was the city's only high school with a single-race student body in 1953, largely due to residential segregation, and remained a segregated school until 1971 (although some historians suggest that its desegregation occurred in 1968). Due to declining enrollment, Attucks was converted to a junior high school in 1986, and a middle school in 1993. It became a medical magnet high school in 2006, partially due to the school's proximity to the campus of the Indiana University School of Medicine and its associated hospitals.
The red brick building with terra-cotta and limestone detailing covers a two-square-block area and was built in three phases. A three-story main building, designed by local architects Merritt Harrison and Llewellyn A. Turnock, was constructed in 1927. A three-story addition and a two-story gymnasium were built in 1938. A newer, two-story gymnasium was constructed in 1966. The main building and the 1938 addition reflect Collegiate Gothic (or Tudor Revival) and Classical Revival styles of architecture. The high school was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
During its early years, Attucks was known for its excellence in academics, in addition to its successful athletic teams, especially its basketball program. The high school also became a gathering place and a source of pride for the city's African American community. In 1955, the Attucks Tigers won the Indiana High School Athletic Association's state basketball championship, becoming the first all-black school in the nation to win a state title. In 1956, the team became the first state champions in IHSAA history to complete a season undefeated since the Indiana High School Boys Basketball Tournament began in 1911. Attucks also won the IHSAA state basketball championship in 1959 and in 2017 (Class 3A). The school contains the Crispus Attucks Museum, which opened in 1998.
- ^ a b "Crispus Attucks High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 15, 2006.
- ^ Stanley Warren (1998). Crispus Attucks High School: "Hail to the Green, Hail to the Gold". Virginia Beach, Virginia: Donning Company. ISBN 9781578640324.