Commemoration and Preservation

Historical marker location:

1600 H St NW, Downtown Washington, District of Columbia

( Marker is at the intersection of H Street Northwest and 16th Street Northwest / Black Lives Matter Plaza, on the right when traveling east on H Street Northwest.)

Marker installed: 2021

Lafayette Park. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

The District was the site of the first U.S. public school for black students: The M Street School (later known as Dunbar High School) was founded in 1870 and was the first public school in the United States for black students. The school became known for its high academic standards and produced many notable alumni, including civil rights leader and educator Mary McLeod Bethune.