Crane High School (Chicago)


Richard T. Crane Medical Prep High School is a public 4–year medical prep high school located in the Near West Side neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The school is operated by the Chicago Public Schools district. Crane is named for businessman Richard T. Crane. For the 2012–13 school year, the school became a medical preparatory high school; Partnering with Rush Hospital, City Colleges Of Chicago, and University of Illinois at Chicago.

History

Crane was founded as a males-only school at 12th Street and Michigan Avenue in 1890. It was originally known as the English High and Manual Training School. In 1903, the school moved to its present location and was renamed in honor of businessman Richard T. Crane. When the school went co-ed in 1954, it began to de-emphasize its "technical" label, though it continued to offer courses like auto shop and drafting. Between 1911 and 1969, the school shared its building with Crane College, the first junior college in Chicago. The college moved out in 1969 and is now known as Malcolm X College. On November 30, 2011, Chicago Public Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard announced that Crane, along with several other schools, would either be closed or phased out. Under this plan, Crane would remain open but no longer accept freshman students, who would be routed instead to either Wells, Manley, Marshall, or Farragut. In April 2012, however, Brizard announced that Crane would be retained and redeveloped into a health sciences high school. Crane High School previously housed Chicago Talent Development Charter High School during the 2012-13 academic year, prior to Chicago Talent's closure the following year.

Athletics

Crane became a charter member of the Chicago Public League in 1913. Since then, it has won eleven city titles in boys' basketball. The school has produced a number of professional basketball players.

Notable alumni