Civil Rights · Arkansas
Little Rock Central High School
Little Rock Central High School today. — xiquinhosilva
Why Little Rock Central High School Matters
In the fall of 1957, a grand Arkansas high school became the front line of the struggle to enforce the Supreme Court's promise of school desegregation. When nine Black teenagers tried to enter all-white Central High, the governor called out the National Guard to stop them — and the president answered by sending the U.S. Army to escort them in. The 'Little Rock Nine' turned a schoolhouse into a test of whether the federal government would back the Constitution against a defiant state. It did, and the nation was changed.
By the Numbers
History
- Crisis
- 1957 desegregation
- Federal response
- 101st Airborne sent by Eisenhower
People
- Students
- The Little Rock Nine
- First graduate
- Ernest Green (1958)
Building
- Opened
- 1927
Architecture
- Style
- Collegiate Gothic / Art Deco
Designation
- National Historic Site
- November 6, 1998
Timeline
- 1927Central High School opens, praised as America's finest high school
- 1954Brown v. Board of Education outlaws segregated public schools
- 1957Governor Faubus blocks the Nine with the National Guard on September 4
- 1957Eisenhower sends the 101st Airborne to escort the students on September 25
- 1958Ernest Green becomes the first of the Nine to graduate
- 1958Little Rock closes its high schools for the 'Lost Year'
- 1998Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site is established
Complete History
When it opened in 1927, Central High was hailed as one of the most beautiful high schools in America, a sprawling Collegiate Gothic and Art Deco landmark. Three years after the Supreme Court's 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision outlawed segregated schooling, Little Rock's school board agreed to admit nine carefully chosen Black students to Central High for the 1957 school year.
On September 4, 1957, Governor Orval Faubus ordered the Arkansas National Guard to bar the students from entering, defying federal court orders. Photographs of fifteen-year-old Elizabeth Eckford walking alone through a screaming mob flashed around the world. The standoff became a constitutional crisis between a state governor and the federal courts, watched anxiously at home and abroad.
President Dwight Eisenhower federalized the Arkansas National Guard and sent the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock, and on September 25, 1957, soldiers escorted the Nine into the school. They endured a year of harassment; Ernest Green became the first to graduate, in 1958. Rather than continue integration, Faubus closed all the city's high schools for the 1958–59 'Lost Year.' Still an active public school, Central High was made a National Historic Site in 1998.
Historic Images
Interesting Facts
- In 1957 nine Black students integrated all-white Central High under the protection of the U.S. Army.
- Governor Orval Faubus used the Arkansas National Guard to block the students, defying Brown v. Board of Education.
- President Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne Division and federalized the Guard to enforce integration.
- Rather than integrate, Little Rock closed all its high schools for the 1958–59 'Lost Year.'
- Ernest Green became the first of the Nine to graduate, in 1958; the school is still in use today.
Visiting Today
- Hours
- The NPS visitor center is open most days; the school itself is active, so interior access is limited to scheduled tours.
- Admission
- Free.
- Best time to visit
- A weekday when the visitor center is open; interior tours require advance reservation.
- Nearby
- The restored Magnolia Mobil gas station across the street served as a press hub during the 1957 crisis.
Begin at the visitor center exhibits, then walk to the commemorative garden and the restored gas station before viewing the school's dramatic facade from across the street.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who were the Little Rock Nine?
They were nine Black students — including Elizabeth Eckford and Ernest Green — who desegregated all-white Little Rock Central High School in 1957.
What role did the federal government play?
After Governor Faubus used the National Guard to block the students, President Eisenhower federalized the Guard and sent the 101st Airborne Division to escort and protect them.
Is Central High still a school?
Yes. It remains an active public high school and is also a National Historic Site, the only functioning high school within a U.S. national park site.
Can you visit Little Rock Central High School?
Yes. The National Park Service visitor center across the street tells the story; the school exterior is viewable anytime, and interior tours are offered by reservation when school is out.
