320 East Criser Road
Front Royal, Virginia 22630

Directions from Good Hope Cemetery to site 22:

• Exit the cemetery and turn left onto E 6th St/Happy Creek Rd
• Drive for 0.9 mile, then turn left onto N Commerce Ave
• Continue for 1.5 mile and turn right onto E Criser Rd
• The school will be on the left side
• This is an elementary school, and visitors are encouraged to drive past without stopping

Also known as Criser High School, this school was built in 1959 to accommodate African American students in grades 1-12. It was established to prevent integration in Warren County Schools and was supposed to operate alongside the White Warren County High School under the “Separate but Equal” doctrine. However, the school opened the same day Warren County High School was integrated, and African American parents realized that segregated schools would never be truly equal. 

Prior to the construction of this school, African American students could only receive an education in Warren County until they reached the 7th grade. No higher educational opportunities existed in the county, and students had to be bussed to either Manassas Regional High School or the Johnson-Williams High School in Berryville; both options created many difficulties for African American students and their families. 

Site 21

Site 23