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18 vintage photos show how high schools have changed in the US
18 vintage photos show how high schools have changed in the US
Melissa WellsJan 12, 2024, 12:59 IST
High-school students attend a typing class in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1965.Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images
High schools in the US have changed dramatically since the late 19th century.
Since 1954, activists have fought racial inequalities in education and beyond.
Until the 20th century, high schools were typically attended only by the children of middle- and upper-class families, according to the Library of Congress.
But during the early 1900s, the country entered a period of significant social and political reform, which sparked increasing rates of high-school enrollment.
Since then, secondary education in the US has seen numerous dramatic changes, particularly following the Supreme Court's landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, which made segregation in public schools illegal.
Fascinating vintage photos show how much high schools have evolved over the past two centuries.
Lucy Yang contributed to an earlier version of this report.
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Until the early 20th century, high schools were typically attended only by the children of middle- and upper-class families.
High-school students take a cooking class in Washington, DC, in 1899.Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images
Certain forms of physical education — like a wall-climbing apparatus from the late 1890s — are unrecognizable today.
High-school students use a climbing apparatus in Washington, DC, in 1899.Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images
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In 1900, the College Board was founded to expand access to higher education.
Washington, DC, public school classroom scene circa 1899.Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images
As schools began welcoming students from other socio-economic backgrounds, the type of classes offered also expanded.
Metal shop (blacksmithing) class in a Washington, DC, high school circa 1899.Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images
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Students rode horse-drawn coaches to get to school in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
A horse-drawn coach parks in front of Telluride High School circa 1910.Library of Congress/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images
The early 1900s saw a dramatic increase in the number of high schools built and a boost to student enrollment.
A group of girls in a sewing class at an American high school, circa 1930.FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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By the 1930s, motorized school buses had become common.
Students board a bus after a day at Dover High School in Arkansas in 1930.Corbis via Getty Images
Photos of gym classes from the 1930s show unfamiliar exercise equipment, including what looks like a human-sized hamster wheel.
High-school students use an exercise wheel in June 1931.Fox Photos/Getty Images
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In 1940, for the first time in US history, about half of all students finished high school.
High-school students take a typing class circa 1940.Corbis via Getty Images
Debates over religion's place in the classroom erupted in the mid-20th century.
High school students in desks, mid-1900s.Mark Jay Goebel/Getty Images
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Photos of high schools during the mid-20th century show students listening to radio broadcasts during class.
A 1950 photo of a class at Russell High School in Atlanta, Georgia.Uncredited photographer/AP
Students also were taught using televisions.
Students in a public high school are taught by a teacher on TV in 1956.Peter Stackpole/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
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In 1954, the United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously that segregation in public schools is unconstitutional.
The Little Rock Nine enter Little Rock Central High School on September 25, 1957.Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, civil-rights activists continued to combat racial inequalities in education and beyond.
Students sit in an integrated high-school classroom in Washington, DC, in September 1957.Warren K Leffler/Universal History Archive/Getty Images
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The 1960s was an era of American dominance in the area of chemical science.
Three high school students in chemistry class; a girl and a boy using microscopes.H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images
In the 1980s, more schools began to introduce computers into classrooms.
Two high-school students work at the computer center in June 1983.Dave Buresh/The Denver Post via Getty Images
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In the '90s, educators and software companies created new ways for students to learn using computers.
A 1994 photo of high-school students using computers.Bob Rowan/Corbis via Getty Images
By the end of the 20th century, the use of laptops in the classroom was commonplace.
A 1996 photo of a high-school student with a laptop.Mark Peterson/Corbis via Getty Images