It’s official.

David T. Howard Middle School is the new name for the school opening up in the Old Fourth Ward building where Martin Luther King, Jr. attended third through sixth grades back in 1936 through 1940.

Atlanta Public Schools is in the midst of a more than $50 million renovation and expansion of the building, which was known as Howard High School before it closed in the 1970s.

The district plans to reopen the building to house students who currently attend Inman Middle School.

Inman will be used as the temporary site of Morningside Elementary School while renovations take place at the Morningside building. APS has not announced what will become of the Inman building after the Morningside work is done in 2022.

The school board this week unanimously approved a recommendation to name the new middle school Howard Middle School. The name pays homage to Howard, a former slave who founded the city’s first black-owned bank. He donated the property where the school is located.

Howard High School educated students who grew up to be among Atlanta’s most famous residents, including Maynard Jackson, the city’s first African-American mayor.

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Instructor Daniel Jean-Baptiste reminds students to "measure twice, cut once" while using a hand saw at the Construction Ready accelerated summer program at Westside Works in Atlanta on Wednesday, June 18, 2025. The program provides training for careers in construction and the skilled trades. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com

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Apartment complex community members look at the stuffed animals, snacks and drinks that rest at the base of a basketball goal with balloons in memoriam of Ja’Nylen Greggs in Atlanta on Friday, June 20, 2025. The apartment complex community is mourning 12-year-old Greggs after he was killed in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting. (Abbey Cutrer / AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com