Named after Whitney M. Young Jr., a prominent civil rights leader, the school is located in Cleveland's Lee-Harvard neighborhood.
[4] On August 27, 2010, Whitney Young became the first and only Cleveland school to receive the state's highest rating of Excellent with Distinction.
The years long protest was involved demonstrations and calling of local and state representative to change the plans laid out by CMSD Leadership and some student walkouts.
In June 2009 Whitney Young held its first eighth grade promotion (Class of 2013) since it added secondary courses to the school in 2003.
With Gracemount closing, their students in grades 2-8 labeled gifted will be sent to Whitney Young effective the 2010–2011 school year.
[10] CMSD hosted a Transformation Community Meeting for Whitney Young on Wednesday, January 6, 2010, at John F. Kennedy High School.
Whitney Young consistently ranks in the top of the state in terms of test scores and attendance rate.
Advanced Placement is offered for Physics, English, European History, Environmental Science, Statistics and Calculus.
As part of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District continuing modernization program, paid for with state funds and proceeds from a local bond issue, Whitney Young's original building was demolished and rebuilt in 2019, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 6, 2019.
The new Whitney Young features large, interactive touch screens in every classroom and community, or “extended,” learning areas where children can work on projects in teams.
[5] Whitney Young's principal Karen Byron-Johnson spoke briefly about how she and her students reached their goal in such a low performing district.
While CEO Eugene Sanders was quoted saying "You can go to Shaker Heights, Solon, Beachwood, you can go to any other school in the state, and none of them have performed better than Whitney Young students.
ELA works with Northeast Ohio schools to provide a dynamic, results-based youth leadership program for students in grades six through twelve.
This innovative, "inside out" self-development process focuses on three critical elements: personal leadership, healthy behaviors, and interpersonal skills.
The ELA program returned to WMY during the 2011–12 school year to work with 15 seniors from the Class of 2012, the group met twice a week for fifty minutes each session.
Cleveland Metropolitan School District Humanware Division sent crisis counselors along with members of the CMSD Anti-Bullying Team to counsel students and remind them of their rights and responsibilities.
March 4, 2010, Whitney Young girls' high-school basketball team lose the championship game against Cleveland School of the Arts at John F. Kennedy.