The largest public high school in the District of Columbia, Jackson-Reed High School strives to build a safe, supportive, and welcoming community of dedicated and self-reflective learners equipped to joyfully embrace our opportunities for growth on the path to active citizenship.

The school formerly known as Woodrow Wilson Senior High School was founded almost 90 years ago in 1935.   On March 15, 2022, the District of Columbia government formally changed the name of the high school to Jackson-Reed after years of grassroots efforts by teachers, students, and parents to remove Wilson’s name from the school.   During his time as the 28th President of the United States, Wilson led an administration that fired and demoted black workers who had found a road to advancement in the federal civil service.  Restrooms and other spaces in federal buildings were segregated once again during Wilson’s tenure in the White House. These values do NOT represent the values of the school nor do they reflect the diversity of Jackson-Reed.

Edna Burke Jackson, the first African-American teacher at Wilson High School, graduated as valedictorian of Dunbar High School in 1928.  After finishing her Masters’ degree in Education at Howard University, she moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she taught history for six years before returning to the District and a teaching position at Cardozo High School.

In 1954, after the US Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, Ms. Jackson joined the faculty at Wilson High School, where she educated and inspired students for 22 years. Her spirit, tenacity, and intellect are all integral parts of the fabric that makes up our school.

Vincent Reed joined DCPS in 1956 and worked his way through the classroom as a teacher and then administrator, becoming Wilson’s first black principal in 1969.  For six years, he served as principal with a focus on equity, trying to level the playing field for all and listening to all stakeholders to try and make Wilson a more integrated and harmonious community.   He served as the Superintendent of DCPS from 1975 to 1980 before becoming the assistant secretary of education under Ronald Reagan in 1981.  In his later years, he served as the Washington Post’s vice president of communication.  His colleague Donald Graham from the Washington Post said this of Reed’s character:“He was a man of perfect integrity, and he was willing to do anything where kids were concerned.”

Indeed, Jackson and Reed worked together and knew one another.  Both have passed, but their legacy and inspiration serve students, faculty, and families daily.

Photo taken by Diego Sanchez, C/O 2025