The largest black schools in Durham prior to the building of Whitted School in 1887 were the Ledger Public School in the Hayti community, under the supervision of Miss Ledger, and the Hack Road Public School, where James Whitted, "a highly respected man of mixed races (Black and Indian) who had managed to educate himself," was superintendent.

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In 1887, the Whitted School existed as the James A. Whitted High School, in honor of its first principal. The school, which was located on the corner of Blackwell and Pettigrew Streets, burned in 1888 and was located in a Bull Factory warehouse.

 

The first class graduated from the ninth grade of Whitted School in 1896. Also, in 1896, a permanent brick building was constructed on Proctor and Ramsey Street for black children at a cost of $8000. Only nine grades existed at Whitted from 1896 until 1911, but in 1911 a tenth grade was added. The 11th grade was added in 1918. 

 

The Whitted School, which was in poor condition, burned in 1921.  John Sprunt Hill, a leading Durham citizen, donated land for a new building on Pine and Umstead Street, which was named Hillside Park High School in honor of the donor and since the school was located next to Hillside Park, a public city-owned Black Park. The class of 1944 was the first to graduate under the 12-year system.

 

The "Park" was dropped from the name Hillside High School in 1943. In 1950, because of overcrowding in the high school, the Hillside High School students moved into what was then called Whitted Junior High School, and the Whitted Junior High School students moved into the old Hillside Park High School building closer to downtown Durham. The schools' buildings also swapped names. Hillside High School at this time only enrolled grades 10, 11 and 12 and Whitted Junior High School enrolled 7, 8 and 9.

 

In 1949, to accommodate many transferred high school students, additions of an auditorium, cafeteria, auto shop, gymnasium and additional classrooms were added.  The Annex building was added in 1962, and a new band room in 1975. 

 

Hillside was relocated to a new building in 1995, 3727 Fayetteville Street, Durham, NC 27707.

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Principals of Hillside High School​

William Gaston Pearson – 1922-1940

William McKinley McElrath – 1940-1948

Harold Holmes- 1948- 1962

John Harding Lucas 1962-1986

Thelma Battle (Interim) - 1986

Richard Hicks- 1986-1996 

Henry J. Pankey- 2001- 2002

Eunice Sanders- 2002- 2006

Earl M. Pappy- 2006- 2009

Hans D. Lassiter- 2009- 2012

William T. Logan- 2012- Present