While public schools for white students of both sexes had been in operation since 1829, girls were not given the opportunity to advance beyond a "Primary" education until 1844.

The Baltimore Board of Education wrote in 1843 that "[girls] who may have manifested superior abilities and attained suitable acquirements[sic] in the Primary Schools" should be given the same chance at a higher level of education as the male students, though girls were not given opportunities to study languages or advanced science and mathematics for several decades.

In order for a young lady to attend Eastern, she had to meet certain requirements: She had to be twelve or older, had to have spent at least one year in a female primary school, have good moral character, and pass an entrance examination.

[5] Further changes to instruction came in 1898, when electives were introduced to the school and it was possible for students to specialize somewhat their area of study at Eastern, instead of taking each subject (math, science, history, etc.)

[7] In September 1954, following the decision in Brown v. Board of Education, Baltimore city schools were integrated and African-American girls were eligible to attend E.H.S for the first time in its history.

The police were called and allegedly began beating students and using mace (spray) and tear gas to get them to go back to class or to get them out of the school.

Additionally, after some years of serving the entire neighborhoods of Ednor Gardens-Lakeside and Waverly, it once again limited admission to those who met a series of criteria.

Many students, and the business magnet program ended up at nearby Lake Clifton, at one point the largest public high school in America.

It has a steel and concrete superstructure frame with red brick cladding and carved limestone trim in the Tudor Revival or (Jacobethan) style.