When McKinley moved to a larger campus in 1928 the building became Robert Gould Shaw Junior High School, which had previously opened for black students on M Street in 1921.

The new Shaw was also a blacks-only school until segregation ended, but it remained primarily African-American.

As it started to deteriorate the building was referred to as “Shameful Shaw.”[4] It was illustrative of the city's neglect of African Americans.

In 2013, Shaw at Garnet-Patterson closed due to low enrollment following the murder of its principal, Brian Betts.

It is part of the city's effort to hire private architects to improve the designs of public schools.