Washington K-8 School
| Washington K-8 School | |
|
Birmingham City Schools |
| Years | 1909–present |
|---|---|
| Location | 115 4th Avenue South, (map) Titusville |
| Grades | K-8 |
| Principal | Antonia Ishman |
| Enrollment | 487 (2022) |
| Colors | green & white |
| Mascot | Braves |
| Website | bhamcityschools.org |
Booker T. Washington K-8 School (formerly Booker T. Washington Negro Elementary School) is a K-8 school in the Birmingham City Schools system.
The school was first constructed by the Town of Elyton for African-American children, and was named for nationally-noted educator Booker T. Washington. It was reorganized in 1904, along with the Alley School and Elyton School as part of Jefferson County Schools. A new schoolhouse was constructed at 115 Avenue D at Alfred Street in what is now Titusville in 1909. It was then absorbed into Birmingham City Schools with the "Greater Birmingham" annexation of 1910. Additions to the original building were completed in 1929.
The old school building was demolished in 2007 to make way for a new facility, which was completed in 2009. The new building includes 35 classrooms, a science lab, and three computer labs, along with a library, 192-seat cafeteria, and 300-seat gymnasium.
In 2011 students from Indian Springs School helped Washington K-8 students construct and plant a "Fertile Minds Learning Garden" on the school's campus.
Under the guidelines of the Alabama Accountability Act of 2015 Washington K-8 School was designated as a "failing" school by the Alabama Department of Education in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
In 2022 the school was tapped to participate in Alabama's "Turnaround Schools Initiative" to provide supplemental public funding and other state resources to assist with lasting improvements to programs.
Principals
- John Henry Brown, 1909-1945
- Wayman Matherson, 1945-1965
- Benjamin McGhee, 1965-1968
- James Pharris, 1968-1985
- Freddie Shepard Jr, 1985-1994
- Pinnie Yarbrough, 1989-2000
- Sherri Davis, January-May 2001
- Linda Kimbrough, 2001-2011
- Andrea Wallace, 2011-2013
- Damita Dunn-Pitts, 2013-2016
- Antonia Ishman, 2016-
References
- Phillips, Ryan (February 11, 2016) "Birmingham City Schools see staggering number of failing schools." Birmingham Business Journal
- Edgemon, Erin (January 12, 2017) "13 Birmingham City Schools on Alabama's list of 'failing' schools." The Birmingham News
- Crain, Trisha Powell (September 6, 2022) "Alabama is investing $15 million to turn around 15 schools with ‘overwhelming’ needs." The Birmingham News