A 100-Year Historical Study of East High School in Kansas City, Missouri

Abstract

East High School was opened in 1926 to over nine hundred students from the surrounding neighborhoods. At that time, East High School was an all-White suburban school in comparison to its identity today as the most diverse high school in the state with over forty languages and countries represented in its population. During the first decades of its existence, East High School was a model suburban school with a variety of course offerings and a diverse assortment of extracurricular activities. After the 1954 Brown v. Board ruling from the Supreme Court, East remained an all-White school until 1968, when non-White students began to enroll. In comparison, all other high schools east of Troost Avenue had predominantly non-White students. By 1980, the demographics of East High School and the surrounding neighborhoods had changed dramatically from previous decades. In 1998, East was converted to a K-8 elementary school until the 2008–09 school year, when it was opened once again as a high school. Since that re-opening, East has become a “mini United Nations” with a diverse population. It currently serves as the English Language Learner and self-contained special education high school for the Kansas City School District.