Fort Jackson Elementary School / Hood Street Elementary School
Fort Jackson Elementary School
Fort Jackson Elementary School was one of the first public schools in S.C. to desegregate when classes began on
September 3, 1963. The first school on post and one of the first permanent buildings at Fort Jackson, it was built in
only three months. A new federal policy required all schools on military bases to admit African-American students
instead of sending them to separate schools off-base.
Hood Street Elementary School
This school opened under Principal Thomas Silvester with nine civilian
teachers and 245 students in Grades 1-6. A newspaper article described it as “operated without regard to race,
creed or color.” Fort Jackson Elementary School, later renamed Hood Street Elementary School after additional
schools opened on post, has served the families of Fort Jackson servicemen and servicewomen for more than 45
years.
Marker is on Lee Street near Hood Street, on the right when traveling south.
Courtesy hmdb.org
