As of 2011, the site is used for the Wirt Emerson VPA Academy, a magnet school for the visual and performing arts.

Wirt High School was established in 1939; it was named after Dr. William Albert Wirt, who served as the first superintendent of the Gary Schools from 1907 to early 1938.

Former MLB player Ron Kittle is an alumnus of Wirt.

Multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Crystal Taliefero is also an alumna of Wirt.

[1] The school had three shooting incidents which occurred on March 3, 1989, September 15, 2004 and June 6, 2006.