Crispus Attucks School was named in honor of Crispus Attucks, who was born in Framingham, Massachusetts. Crispus Attucks was born into slavery. His mother was a native Natick Indian and his father was an African American brought to America from West Africa.
Crispus Attucks joined crowds that objected to having British Troops stationed in Boston. On March 5, 1770, the British troops fired on a crowd killing Crispus Attucks. He became the first casualty of the Boston Massacre in America’s fight for independence.
In the 1880’s, the Prospect area was primarily a farming community. The first schoolhouse, Irving School, was built at 24th and Prospect to serve what was then a widely scattered population. This school was later renamed Booker T. Washington. Population demands in 1900 and the need for larger schools and renovations caused a new school, Crispus Attucks Elementary, to be built at 19th and Woodland. Numerous great men and women of the past were educated at this school. Some of them included: Bennie Moten, Charlie Parker and Professor Roger Wilkins.
In 1990, Booker T. Washington School was demolished and construction began on the new Crispus Attucks Elementary School. In 1991, Crispus Attucks Elementary relocated to its new site and opened its doors as a Communication and Writing Magnet School.
Currently, Attucks is a comprehensive neighborhood SIG School with ten K-6 classrooms, four Headstart classrooms, and five Pre-K through 6 Exceptional Education Classrooms.
