Dr. Percy L. Julian High School

Dr. Percy L. Julian High School
Dr. Percy L. Julian High School
Address
	225 Ann Street; Montgomery, Alabama 36107; United States
Coordinates	32°22′41″N 86°16′16″W / 32.378°N 86.271°W
Information
Former name	Robert E. Lee High School
School type	Public high school
Motto	together we build, together we build"
Established	1955 (69 years ago)
School district	Montgomery Public Schools
CEEB code	011900
Teaching staff	73.50 (FTE)
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	1,374 (2022-23)
Student to teacher ratio	18.69
Mascot	Phoenix
Communities served	Maxwell Air Force Base Gunter Air Force Base
Website	www.mps.k12.al.us/o/pjhs

Dr. Percy L. Julian High School (formerly Robert E. Lee High School) is a public secondary school in Montgomery, Alabama, United States, serving grades 9–12. The school is part of the Montgomery Public Schools system.

Dr. Percy L. Julian High School is zoned for the northside of Montgomery, including residents of the Gunter Air Force Base and Maxwell Air Force Base, however, few military students attend Montgomery public schools.^[2] ^[3]

History

Early history

In January 1953, the Montgomery Board of Education purchased 12 acres (49,000 m²) of property on Ann Street for $74,000 for a new high school. The new school would alleviate overcrowding at Sidney Lanier High School and accommodate children coming to Montgomery due to Maxwell and Gunter Air Force Bases.^[4] The final cost of the new facility was nearly $1.25 million.

The school opened to students for the first time on September 6, 1955, under the name Robert E. Lee High School.^[4] The new school had 35 faculty members and approximately 800 students. Most of the 232 juniors and 173 seniors entering the school were transfers from Lanier, and some 354 sophomores moved up from area junior high schools. Its first graduating class consisted of 144 students.

Expansion

An auditorium was added in 1963. The guidance office, lunchroom, and library were enlarged and the math wing and mini-gym were added during the 1970s. By 1979 rooms were air conditioned, after students and teachers raised the necessary $80,000. In 1992, the library underwent extensive renovation and the entire school received a new roof. In 1997, land behind Julian formerly occupied by apartments was donated to the school, and in 2000 the space was completely paved to provide parking. In the summer of 2002, the entire school system was networked and wired with fiber optic cable to provide better and faster internet and network capabilities. Fine arts at the school have grown. The fine arts program includes drama which perform plays in the Auditorium, Art, Debate, and Choral .

The school added 9th Grade in the 2010/2011 school year. Julian High School's motto is The pursuit of continuous excellence.

Confederate legacy

The school included a plaque dedicated to its former namesake, Robert E. Lee, instructing students to not defame him.^[5]

Renaming

In 2020 the school district's board of education voted to change the school's name.^[6]

In November 2022, it was announced that the school would be renamed Dr. Percy L. Julian High School after Percy Lavon Julian.^[7]

Sports

The Phoenix represent the school in ASHAA sporting competitions. During the 2005–2006 and 2007–2008 school years the Generals Cheerleaders won the Cheersport National Championship. In August 2023, the school mascot was changed to a phoenix.^[8]