20 Rare Vintage Photos of High School Students Through the Years
High school is the ultimate coming-of-age experience. It's a four-year period in which young people discover their interests, lean into their strengths, and develop into their own. But the school days of yesteryear are not those of today — we've compiled vintage high school photos to show you just how much school has changed.
Not only is it normal for teens to attend high school these days, but attendance is now mandated until the age of 16 in most states (18 in some), but that wasn't always the case. Before 1918, when the nationwide Mandatory Attendance Laws were passed, attending high school (and school in general) was a personal family choice unless otherwise mandated by the state. For example, Massachusetts and New York passed compulsory attendance laws 60 years before reducing child labor. Meanwhile, even once the laws were passed, up until the 1950s, many states had case-by-case exceptions, such as for children of farmers, widowed mothers, and those with jobs. All this to say, once upon a time, the high school experience wasn't nearly as universal as it is today. To show you just how much it's changed, we scoured the web for vintage photos of high schools doing what high schoolers do: play sports, attend school dances, and head to school via horse and buggy?! We told these pics were rare! Keep reading to explore the past while taking note of how it differed from modern-day schooling.
Western High School, Washington, D.C. - Circa 1899
Nowadays, high schools expect kids to wear shorts and T-shirts to gym class—attire that's comfortable and conducive to physical activity. Back in the late 1800s, however, those concerns didn't apply to women. Instead, full-coverage dresses with stockings were commonplace in the gymnasium. Shockingly enough, this garb was considered acceptable for the occasion, as the silhouette allowed for an ample range of motion. Attire aside, take a moment to appreciate the gym equipment at Western High School back in 1899. While Swedish ladders (versatile bars used for stretching, balance, and strength routines) aren't as prevalent in high school gyms today, they lined the walls a century ago.
Western High School, Washington, D.C. - Circa 1899
The men's gym class at Western High School was also a sight to behold. Back then, pommel horse exercises were a high school mainstay. In fact, the popularity of the equipment and sport as a whole led to the pommel horse being added to the 1896 Olympics.
Eastern High School, Washington, D.C. - Circa 1899
School dress codes have changed significantly over the years. Back in the late 1800s, women were expected to wear full-coverage blouses and skirts but it wasn't exactly mandated. As time went on, these school attire became more lenient (and more revealing) through the '60s and '70s, with a return to stricter adherence in the '80s and '90s. Nowadays, kids can pretty much wear whatever they want, unless they're enrolled at a private school, that is.
Telluride High School, Telluride, CO - Circa 1910
Can you imagine riding a horse-drawn carriage to school? Back in the late 1800s and early 1900s, that was the main mode of transportation. According to Wayne Country Historical Museum, these carriages were called "School Hacks."
Bushwick High School, Bushwick, NY - Circa 1913
Title IX—the landmark legislation that helped ensure women are afforded equal opportunity in high school and beyond—didn't pass until the 1970s, but that didn't mean women didn't get to partake in high school sports. Here, you can see a women's high school basketball team from 1913. Take note of the uniforms!
Western High School, Washington, D.C. - Circa 1925
Fencing might not be the most popular high school sport nowadays, but in the 1920s and 30s, it was a fan-favorite pastime among boys and girls alike.
Dover High School, Dover, Arkansas - Circa 1930
By the 1930s, school buses took on the shape of actual vehicles, as opposed to horse-drawn or truck-mounted carriages. We have Henry Ford and his 1927 Blue Bird School Bus—the "oldest surviving bus in America"—to thank for that.
Crouch End High School, UK - Circa 1931
Another gym class relic from yesteryear is the human-sized hamster wheel, which was used above during a 1931 gym class in the UK. The wheel's primary benefits included enhanced stability, flexibility, and strength.
Salinas Valley, CA - Circa 1940
The rise in school buses through the '30s and '40s ensured more and more kids had access to education. Eventually, in 1954, when the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that segregation was unconstitutional, school buses became a symbol of racial equality.
Greenbelt, Maryland - Circa 1942
School dances have come a long way since the 1940s. Here, you can see the Grand March at a senior prom in Greenbelt, Maryland. According to the Library of Dance, a Grand March is a mid-to late-19th century promenade at the start of the dance. Couples would line up side by side and make their way around the room before breaking into other dances of the times.
Woodrow Wilson High School, Washington, D.C. - Circa1943
School lunches have evolved over time, with packaged meals becoming notably more prevalent in the modern day. (Doritos and Zebra Cakes, anyone?) Back in the early 1900s, though, fresh-cooked meals were more common. Then, in 1946, the National School Lunch Program was established to help combat childhood hunger and ameliorate nutrition.
Catholic High School, Penasco, NM - Circa 1943
Domestic Science Class (better known as Home Economics) became a highly-valued part of the high school curriculum back in the early 1900s. The idea was that the course could help teach young women how to become successful homemakers. While the classes offered students real-life skills (like cooking and sewing), home EC classes have become less prevalent in modern-day schooling.
Western High School, Washington, D.C. - Circa 1947
Nowadays, we're all too accustomed to typing on our laptops, tablets, and smartphones. These devices are modern luxuries, though. For much of the 20th century, typewriters were the primary method for accelerated note-taking.
Metropolitan Vocational High School, New York, NY - Circa 1947
Band and orchestra are cornerstones of the high school experience and that's long been the case. The first high school band was established in 1857, with schools rapidly embracing the concept by the 1930s and '40s.
Bloomfield High School, Bloomfield, NJ - Circa 1950
Talk about a fierce-looking line of young women! Archery isn't a common practice in current high schools, but it was a popular sport back in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Galileo High School, San Francisco, CA - Circa 1956
Virtual learning might have seemed like some newfangled concept during the pandemic but high schoolers have long been learning via screen. Back in the 1950s, telecast lectures (AKA telecourses) weren't unheard of in the classroom.
Anacostia High School, Washington, D.C. - Circa 1957
Thanks to the 1954 Supreme Court Ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, public schools began the process of desegregation or the integration of races in classrooms. This shift (which took years to fully go into effect) ensured that all children, regardless of race, had access to a top-notch education.
Midwood High School, Brooklyn, NY - Circa 1958
Integration efforts also allowed for enhanced diversity among guest lecturers. Here, tennis champion Althea Gibson— the first Black person to win the French, Wimbledon, and U.S. singles titles—visited Midwood High School in Brooklyn, NY, to teach young women how to properly hold a tennis racquet.
Circa 1959
Nowadays, high schoolers are used to learning via smart boards and large-screen TVs. For decades, though, projectors were coveted for their ability to enlarge lesson plans for all to see.
South Boston High School, Boston, MA - Circa 1974
The process of desegregation may have kicked off in the 1950s but the efforts to combat racial inequality lasted long through the '60s and '70s (not to mention even now, in 2024). Here, high schoolers are seen protesting racism and the anti-busing movement.
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