East Nashville Magnet High School

Now that you’ve learned about the library, look across the street or cross Gallatin Ave. to see East Nashville Magnet High School. Oprah Winfrey is the school’s most notable alumna. This cultural and media icon is a member of the class of 1971, and Oprah’s time at East High came at a pivotal time in her life. As a student, she was encouraged to follow her passion for public speaking, and during her senior year, Oprah aired her first news broadcast. The rest is history.

The original school opened in 1932 with 1,500 students in grades 10 through 12. The state-of-the-art facility cost half a million dollars, funded by a New Deal program borne out of the Great Depression. This impressive building was designed by Dr. Frank Bachman in an Art Deco style with Egyptian influences. In 1937, the adjacent East Nashville Junior High School opened for 900 students in grades 7 to 9.

Many students and young graduates served in World War II, with 59 making the ultimate sacrifice. A 59-inch diameter clock was installed and placed atop the school’s entrance to honor and memorialize their lives. In 1955, local barber A.Z. Kelley filed a lawsuit, Kelley v. Board of Education, challenging the racial segregation of the city’s schools on behalf of 20 Black students and 2 white students. However, school integration did not begin at East High School until 1965. Learn more about the “Nashville Plan” for school desegregation on our Civil Rights Driving Tour, which begins here at East High!

In 2005, major renovations were completed on the original high school and junior high buildings. Formally renamed East Nashville Magnet School in 2012, the school consistently ranks as one of Tennessee’s top high schools. In addition to stellar academics, East Nashville also maintains an excellent athletic program. The girls' track team alone won state championships in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Speaking of track, Oprah Winfrey may have not been an athlete, but she moved just up the street to attend TSU—a university with one of the most storied female track programs in the nation. For more, take our Tennessee State University tour on Nashville Sites. You’ll also be glad to know East High was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.