Jones College Prep High School - History

History

Jones College Prep, formerly Jones Metropolitan High School of Business and Commerce, Jones Commercial High School, and Jones Academic Magnet, came into existence in February 1938. The building, built shortly after the Chicago fire, was located at Harrison Street and Plymouth Court. The Chicago Board of Education, recognizing a need for commercial business education, remodeled an old building, once Jones Elementary School and later Jones Continuation School, to house Jones High School. It was named for William Jones, who, in 1840, became the first president of the Board of Education. He encouraged the education of every child, including girls, a progressive position during his time. The present building, designed in 1967 to resemble an office building, was opened, and the Jones' program was designed for juniors and seniors, qualifying them for office work after graduation. Jones was the first Chicago school to engage in the Cooperative Work-Study program organized to give students practical experience in their subject and skill areas. Although Jones High School has always enrolled students from any part of the city, during the spring of 1982, Jones became part of the Chicago Board of Education's "Options For Knowledge" program. Magnet schools and programs were created to provide Chicago Public Schools' students with unique educational opportunities in an integrated setting. The magnet school policy is designed to ensure equity and equal access to magnet schools for all children while maintaining racially balanced schools.