Originally opening its doors in 1935, Jackson-Reed High School celebrates its 90th anniversary this year. Over nearly a century, the school has navigated numerous changes in demographics, leadership, faculty, facilities, and even its name. From the $115 million renovation in 2011 to the 2022 renaming from Woodrow Wilson to Jackson-Reed, the school’s journey reflects the evolution of DC, and the world.
This milestone represents a unique opportunity to reflect on the decades of history, the deep transformations, and the defining characteristics that make the school the proud institution it is today.
AP U.S. History teacher, Ms. Bollinger, who has been teaching at Jackson-Reed for 20 years, believes some of the most visible changes have been tied to DC itself. She stated how she feels the city has been massively changed “through gentrification, school reform, population shifts,” and some of the effects have been “more resources put into schools, and rising enrollment.”
She also noted that one of the defining qualities of the student body has been its activism throughout the decades, with students fighting the dress code, organizing around LGBTQ+ rights, and being part of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Still, Bollinger insists that what has always made Jackson-Reed special is its unparalleled diversity. Though originally opened exclusively to white students amid 1930s segregation, Jackson-Reed has seen many demographic shifts over the years. From its first integration of two Black students in 1955, to an almost entirely Black student body in the 1980s, to the modern day student body composed of 28% Black/African-American students, 26% Hispanic/Latino students, and 36% White non-Hispanic students. She went on to share the value of diversity, stating that Jackson-Reed “might be the most diverse place [students] ever spend their days.”
Like Bollinger, Mr Rickard has known Jackson-Reed through many perspectives: first as a student for four years, then as a coach for the past eleven years, and a math teacher for the past seven. He summed up Jackson-Reed’s atmosphere with two words: happy chaos. For Rickard, the school has always had a distinctive energy. “The core is still very much the same: really diverse, really chaotic but in a fun and creative way, which is what I loved about it as a student and why I love teaching here.” He remarked that much has changed Jackson-Reed over the years. “COVID has changed us—[since] COVID I think that every year we get closer and closer to how things were before,” he shared.
9th grade Assistant Principal Mr. Minsker, who has been at Jackson-Reed for eight years, also remarked on how the COVID pandemic has reflected a defining quality of the Jackson-Reed community. “After a year of learning loss and being online, I’m proud that, for the most part, these high school students have built some resilience.” For Minsker, he sees an improvement of the culture at Jackson-Reed, even in his time at the school, an accomplishment he believes is in great part due to the faculty and staff at the school. “We have a dedicated group of teachers who have remained and stayed through all of the changes when it was Wilson, when it was Jackson-Reed, maybe when it was a little more rough around the edges. I value my colleagues who have weathered all of the changes that the school has gone through over the last 90 years.”
90 years of rich history is proof that Jackson-Reed’s heart lies in its people. The legacy is made up of its teachers who stay committed, students who evolve and grow, and a supportive and vocal community. If the past nine decades are any indication, Jackson-Reed’s legacy will continue to be one of resilience, community, and a steadfast dedication to quality education and positively impacting the youth of DC.•