Little Rock Central High School
The site where nine brave Black students integrated an all-white school in 1957, facing violent mobs and requiring federal troops, becoming a symbol of the fight for equal education.
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What Is Little Rock Central High School?
The site where nine brave Black students integrated an all-white school in 1957, facing violent mobs and requiring federal troops, becoming a symbol of the fight for equal education.
Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas is one of the most historically significant buildings in the United States. Built in 1927 and designed by architects Wittenberg, Delony and Davidson, it was celebrated as 'America's Most Beautiful High School' when it opened. With its grand Gothic-collegiate design and space for more than 2,000 students, it was considered one of the finest school buildings in the country. But Central High is remembered today not for its architecture — it is remembered for what happened there in September 1957. Nine extraordinary Black teenagers — called the Little Rock Nine — attempted to enroll. They were Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Patillo, Gloria Ray, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, and Carlotta Walls. Arkansas state law required the school to be all-white. But in 1954, the Supreme Court had ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that school segregation was unconstitutional. Little Rock was ordered to integrate. Governor Orval Faubus ordered the Arkansas National Guard to block them from entering. The students were turned away. Elizabeth Eckford, who did not receive the message about where to meet, arrived alone and faced a screaming crowd. Photographer Will Counts captured the moment — including Hazel Bryan screaming behind her — and that image became one of the most iconic civil rights photographs in history. President Dwight Eisenhower responded by federalizing the Arkansas National Guard and sending the 101st Airborne Division to escort the nine students into school. The federal government had made its position clear: integration would proceed. In May 1958, Ernest Green became the first Black student to graduate from Central High — with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the audience. Then, in what became known as 'The Lost Year,' Governor Faubus closed all four Little Rock high schools for the entire 1958–59 school year rather than comply with integration orders. More than 3,000 students lost a year of school. The nine students received the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999. Central High School was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1982 and became part of the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site in 1998 — which includes both the school and a visitor center across the street. The school is still a fully active public high school today, one of the most racially diverse in Arkansas.
Historical Significance
Little Rock Central High School represents a pivotal test of federal authority and civil rights law in American history. The integration crisis of 1957 was the first major test of whether the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education ruling would actually be enforced — and whether the federal government would stand behind it. Governor Faubus's use of the National Guard to block integration was a direct challenge to federal law. President Eisenhower's decision to federalize the Guard and deploy the 101st Airborne was one of the most dramatic federal interventions in domestic affairs since the Civil War — and it sent a message: the Supreme Court's ruling was the law of the land. The courage of the Little Rock Nine — walking into a hostile environment every day for an entire school year, guided by dignity and determination — inspired a generation of civil rights activists. Their story demonstrated that ordinary young people could be instruments of historical change. Central High's ongoing operation as both a working school and a National Historic Site is itself meaningful: it shows that history is not just something in museums, but something that lives in the places where ordinary people make extraordinary choices.
Key Events at This Place
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Did You Know?
Called 'America's Most Beautiful High School'
When Little Rock Central High School opened in 1927, it was celebrated as 'America's Most Beautiful High School.' Designed by architects Wittenberg, Delony and Davidson, its grand Gothic-collegiate design was unlike most school buildings of its era. That same beautiful building became the site of one of America's most painful civil rights confrontations thirty years later.
Elizabeth Eckford Walked Alone
Elizabeth Eckford did not receive the message about where to meet the other eight students. She arrived at Central High alone, faced a screaming crowd, and walked with extraordinary dignity. Photographer Will Counts captured the image — with Hazel Bryan screaming behind her — and it became one of the most famous photographs of the civil rights era.
Ernest Green Had a Famous Guest
When Ernest Green graduated in May 1958 — the first Black graduate of Central High — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was in the audience to witness the historic moment.
The Lost Year — A Whole City Lost Its Schools
After the 1957–58 school year, Governor Faubus closed all four Little Rock high schools for an entire year rather than continue integration. More than 3,000 students — Black and white alike — had no high school to attend. The strategy ultimately failed: courts ordered the schools to reopen and integrate.
Still a Working School
Central High School is still a fully functioning public high school today, with over 2,500 students. It is one of the most racially diverse high schools in Arkansas — and one of the only active high schools in the country that is also a National Historic Site.
Minnijean Brown Was Expelled — Then Transferred
Minnijean Brown was expelled from Central High mid-year after responding to harassment. She transferred to a school in New York City and later became an advocate and author. All nine students showed remarkable courage throughout an extraordinarily difficult year.
Events at This Place
Landmark events that happened at or are connected to this location.
September 4, 1957
Little Rock Nine
Nine Black students bravely integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, facing violent mobs and requiring federal troops for protection.
May 17, 1954
Brown v. Board of Education
The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, overturning the 'separate but equal' doctrine and sparking the modern civil rights movement.
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Other important places in Black history.
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Little Rock Central High School Complete Teaching Bundle
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