ARLINGTON, Va. — Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School highlights the enduring legacy of one of Arlington's most distinguished residents while reflecting the evolution of public education in the Green Valley community.
Constructed in 1945 as the Kemper Annex, the school was built to serve the neighborhood's African American children during the era of legally segregated public education. Designed in the Art Moderne style, it remains notable as the only Arlington school originally built in that architectural style.
In 1952, the school was renamed in honor of Dr. Charles R. Drew, the internationally renowned pioneer of blood-plasma research who grew up just blocks away in Green Valley. Although Drew attended school in Washington, D.C., rather than Arlington's segregated school system, his achievements transformed modern medicine and his principled resignation from the American Red Cross in protest of its policy of segregating donated blood by race remains an enduring part of his legacy.
Following school integration in 1971, the campus evolved into the Drew Model School before becoming today's Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School. When the original building was replaced in 2000, the school retained Drew's name, and in 2019 community members successfully advocated to preserve that connection when a proposal to modify the school's name was considered.
An Arlington County historical marker at the school commemorates both the history of the campus and Dr. Drew's remarkable contributions. Next door, Drew Park and the Charles Drew Community Center continue to honor the scientist whose accomplishments brought international recognition to the Green Valley neighborhood that helped shape his early life.
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