Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools) is one of the oldest and most historic public school systems in the United States. Established in 1829, City Schools boasts the nation’s oldest all-girls public high school (Western High School) and the third oldest public high school overall (Baltimore City College). 

In one of the most notable events in education history, prayer was banned in U.S. public schools as a result of a lawsuit filed by the parent of a City Schools student. In addition, a Baltimore high school (Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) was the scene of racial integration two years before Brown v Board of Education.