Did You Know? Coppin State Began Inside a Baltimore School

Did you know Coppin State University began in 1900 as a one-year teacher-training program at a segregated Baltimore high school? What began as a small program to prepare Black elementary school teachers has grown into one of Maryland’s leading historically Black universities with global reach.

Coppin’s story began at Colored High School, later known as Douglass High School, on Pennsylvania Avenue. The Baltimore City School Board created the program to address the shortage of trained African American teachers in segregated schools. By 1902, it expanded into a two-year “Normal Department,” and by 1926 it was renamed Fanny Jackson Coppin Normal School to honor the pioneering Black educator who rose from slavery to become a college leader and advocate for teacher education.

The institution steadily evolved with Baltimore’s changing educational landscape. In 1938, it became a four-year college authorized to grant bachelor’s degrees, and in 1952 it moved to its current West North Avenue campus. By the 1960s, Coppin expanded beyond teacher education into liberal arts and professional programs, reflecting broader opportunities for Black students. It officially became Coppin State University in 2004.

True to its urban mission, Coppin has long served Baltimore beyond the classroom. It operates community health services through its nursing center and made history in 1998 by becoming Maryland’s only university to manage a public elementary school, helping Rosemont Elementary rise off the state’s watch list within five years.

Today, Coppin continues to educate thousands in fields from nursing to social work, carrying forward the legacy of Fanny Jackson Coppin and its founding purpose: empowering Baltimore communities through education.

Did You Know? Coppin State Began As A Teacher Training Program Inside A High School was originally published on 92q.com