It was the only high school for African-American students until the end of segregation in Loudoun County in 1968.

Douglass High School is a one-story brick building, originally of 9,400 square feet (870 m2).

The plan is centered on a commons area that functioned as a gymnasium, cafeteria and auditorium, flanked by two classrooms on either side.

During the late 1930s the black community in Loudoun County organized fundraiser events to purchase 8 acres (3.2 ha) of land on the east side of Leesburg from W.S.

The school was named for African-American abolitionist Frederick Douglass at the request of the community organizers.