Will new FCPS school be named after district’s first Black student to integrate schools?

Lexington’s newest public elementary school on Greendale Road could be named for Helen Caise Wade, the first student to integrate Fayette County Public Schools.

The name was revealed at Monday’s school board planning meeting. The board will vote on the recommendation at its March 23 monthly meeting.

As a 16-year-old sophomore in 1955, Wade became the first Black student to integrate Fayette County Public Schools by enrolling in summer coursework at Lafayette High School.

Despite a hostile environment and requiring a protective escort of nine family members, she earned an “A” in her summer U.S. History course. She is a graduate of Fayette’s original Frederick Douglass High School, which was segregated.

“Her pioneering action led to severe repercussions for her family, including explicit threats and the subsequent loss of her father’s business,” district officials said in a Monday presentation.

More recently, Wade was chosen as the Community Action Council 2025 Unapologetically Woman of the Year.

The name was recommended after FCPS sought submissions from the public earlier this year. There were 2,980 community survey responses.

About the new Lexington elementary school

The proposed cost of the nearly 90,000-square-foot building is about $50.5 million, according to FCPS. The school, which will have 750 pre-kindergarten through fifth graders, is targeted to be complete in June 2027.

The structure will be two stories, configured east to west, according to the district website. The first floor will house preschool, kindergarten, first- and second-grade classrooms, along with common areas like the gym, cafeteria and library. The second floor will house third, fourth and fifth graders. It will also have resource rooms and additional administrative areas.

This story was originally published March 9, 2026 at 6:36 PM.