Washington High School is a public high school located in

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of the ...

, United States. It serves students in grades 9 through 12 and is operated by the

Kansas City USD 500 Kansas City USD 500, also known as Kansas City Kansas Public Schools, is a public unified school district headquartered in Kansas City, Kansas, United States. As of 2021, it has approximately 23,690 students enrolled in the district in grades P ...

school district

History

On January 4, 1932 Washington High School (originally named Washington Rural High School) opened on Leavenworth Road in the northwest part of

Wyandotte County, Kansas Wyandotte County (; county code WY) is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 169,245, making it Kansas's fourth-most populous county. Its county seat and most populous city is Kansas City, with which ...

. The school was named after the first United States President

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

. The new high school formed from the creation of Rural High School District #2 of Wyandotte County Washington Rural High School’s attendance area abutted the west boundary of the

Kansas City, Kansas School District Kansas City USD 500, also known as Kansas City Kansas Public Schools, is a public unified school district headquartered in Kansas City, Kansas, United States. As of 2021, it has approximately 23,690 students enrolled in the district in grades P ...

, but was outside the city limits of Kansas City, Kansas. The Washington attendance area population grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s for two reasons. First was the post-World War II

baby boom A baby boom is a period marked by a significant increase of birth rate. This demographic phenomenon is usually ascribed within certain geographical bounds of defined national and cultural populations. People born during these periods are often ca ...

with middle-class families moving into the area. The second reason was the commencement of

white flight White flight or white exodus is the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the terms became popular in the United States. They refer ...

from Kansas City, Kansas. In 1962, due to a new Kansas law that required the merger of elementary school districts and high school districts to provide "unified"

K-12 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...

districts, Washington High School District USD 201 was formed. But by 1965, with rapid population growth and an urgent need for new schools, the new school district faced a financial crisis. Due to the lack of a strong industrial/ commercial tax base and comparatively low residential property values, the district didn’t have the available tax base and corresponding tax revenues to fund its capital needs to expand. The Washington District responded to its challenging situation by authorizing an election in 1966 to decide if USD 201 would be absorbed by Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools. That election measure narrowly passed , resulting in USD 500 annexing USD 201 in 1967. The resulting expanded USD 500 district responded to the overcrowding at Washington High School by opening

F. L. Schlagle High School F. L. Schlagle High School is a fully accredited, public high school located in Kansas City, Kansas, United States. It serves students in grades 9 to 12 and is operated by the Kansas City USD 500 school district. The principal is Yolanda Tho ...

three miles away at 59th Street and Parallel Parkway in 1972.

Sports and activities

Washington is a part of the

Kansas State High School Activities Association The Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) is the organization which oversees interscholastic competition in the U.S. state of Kansas at the high school, high-school level. It oversees both athletic and non-athletic competition, ...

5A classification The school offers many sports and activities, including: Volleyball, Girls Basketball, Boys Basketball, Football, Wrestling, Baseball, Softball, Girls Soccer, Boys Soccer, Bowling, Track and Field, Cross Country, Scholars Bowl, Forensics, Debate, Robotics, and Choral Music.

State championships

Team

Washington High School has two team Kansas State High School State Championships which were in 5A-1A boys bowling in both 2010 and 2011.

Individual

* In 1974, Mark Hosking won the 5A-4A boys tennis state championship. * In 1977, Rosa Kelly set the 5A girls 440 yard dash record (race has been discontinued) of 56.8. * In 1978, both the Washington boys 2-Mile Relay team (8:04.0) and the Washington girls Mile Relay team (4:10.7) set Kansas 5A state championship meet records. * In 1978, Paul Cowan won the 5A boys 330 intermediate hurdles (race has been discontinued) in a state record time of 39.5. * In 1982, Washington High School athletes won both the boys (Brad Ogden) and girls (Mary Shaffer) 6A cross country championships. * In 1991, Wendell Gaskin set both the 6A boys 400 meter dash record (46.76) and 200 meter dash record (21.29). * In 2010, Le'Tristan Pledger set the 5A girls 100 meter high hurdles record of 13.90. In 2009, Pledger set the 5A girls long jump record of 19'10.75". * In 2011, Cedric Phillips won the 5A-1A boys individual bowling state championship.

Notable alumni

* Wendell Gaskin, former and USA Track and Field star *

Paul J. Morrison Paul J. Morrison (born June 1, 1954) is an American lawyer and former Attorney General of Kansas. Morrison attended Washburn University and Washburn School of Law, graduating in 1980. While at Washburn, he was a member of the Kansas Beta chapte ...

, former Kansas Attorney General *Le'Tristan Pledger, former

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

and USTFCCA All-American track and field star *

Darrell Stuckey Darrell Stuckey, Jr. (born June 16, 1987) is a former American football safety. He played college football at the University of Kansas. Stuckey was an All-Big 12 First-team selection in 2008 and was considered one of the top safeties available ...

, former NFL player with

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

and current Director of Football Relations at University of Kansas football * Earl Watson, former NBA player and head coach of

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

and current assistant coach of Toronto Raptors *

Freddie Williams II Freddie E. Williams II (born May 30, 1977) is an American comic book writer and artist. Williams entered the comic scene in 2005, when he began work with DC Comics on the comic series Robin and on the Eisner Award-winning series ''Seven Soldiers ...

, American comic book writer and artist with DC comics on the comic series Robin and on the Eisner Award-winning series Seven Soldiers: Mister Miracle. He has since gone on to work on several crossover series including Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II, He-Man/ThunderCats and Injustice vs. Masters of the Universe.

References

External links

* * {{cite web, url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/kansas/districts/kansas-city-public-schools/washington-high-8040 , title=Best High Schools: Washington High , publisher= U.S. News Educational institutions established in 1932 High schools in Kansas Education in Kansas City, Kansas Public high schools in Kansas Buildings and structures in Kansas City, Kansas Schools in Wyandotte County, Kansas 1932 establishments in Kansas