America’s First Public High School, A True ‘Melting Pot’, Celebrates its 200th Graduation Ceremony on June 7

English High News

America’s First Public High School, A True Melting Pot, Celebrates  it’s 200^th Graduation Ceremony on June 7

For most of its history, English High School has been a place where children of immigrant families took their first steps toward a bright future.

When 200 teens who arrived in Boston last year with their families needed to register for high school, it was only logical that The English High School would swing into action, taking a leadership role in accepting, educating and preparing them for their new life in America.

After all, that’s exactly what English High has been doing since its inception in 1821. The first  public high school in America marked its 200^th birthday three years ago with a downtown Boston gala and on June 7^th will celebrate its 200^th graduating class at the Boston Convention Center.

During its first decades, English welcomed children of immigrants, mainly from England and Ireland. Later, students were from first- or second-generation families or were new arrivals mostly from Ireland, Italy, Germany, Russia and other Eastern European countries. Today, the English High student body is 98% Black and Hispanic, including new arrivals and children of first- and second-generation families from the Caribbean, Asia, Africa, Europe, and beyond.

According to English High School Association President Michael Thomas ’67, “Since English High’s inception in 1821, the school has been educating Boston’s immigrant children. Our mission to serve Boston’s youth has remained constant over the years, helping students set off for the ‘American dream.” Many from the Class of ’24 will attend college.

While a very small number of graduates in the early 19^th century went on to college, many learned skills to become architects, draftsmen, or teachers, or worked on the family farm. Today’s English High students study 21^st century subjects like robotics and computer science. The robust English High School Association raises funds for four program pillars including the Alumni & Friends Tutoring Center, the Career Pathways Program, Music and Arts education, and Scholarship assistance.

The English High School numbers among its alumni such luminaries as Banker J. P. Morgan, Brigadier General Enoch ‘Woody’ Woodhouse, singer Jordan Knight, auto magnate Herb Chambers, and Francis Bellotti, to name a few. The EHS Association (EHSA) counts some 17,000 living alumni residing in all 50 states, and annually raises funds to support the four program pillars.