The school was built in 1954; it became the Douglass Elementary School in 1986 as an alternative K-5 school emphasizing reading, writing, and arithmetic. There were about 300 students; the largest number were Latino followed by white, black, then Asian. In 1995, the school became the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy. In 1995, the ethnic make-up was largely African-American and Latino followed by white and Asian. Their mission is to teach tolerance and non-violence, stress academic excellence, and celebrate diversity. The school also focuses on performing arts and attracts students from all over the city. The students study Harvey Milk and the civil rights struggles of the 1950s and 1960s. In 2005, the school failed federal goals for English even though it made the list of "Most Improved Schools." The English scores moved up from 18 to 67, and math scores moved up from 13 to 73.
