Cleveland Humanities Magnet High School

The Cleveland Humanities Magnet program, known as CORE, was established in 1981 as part of the magnet school movement that emerged in the 1960s in response to Brown v. Board of Education. Although this landmark Supreme Court ruling mandated the end of formal school segregation, efforts to integrate educational institutions were met with widespread resistance. CORE emerged as a creative solution: an intellectually rigorous school with a specialized humanities curriculum that happened to attract a diverse student body.

This history continues to guide the Cleveland Humanities Magnet's work. CORE nurtures students to become critical thinkers, strong writers, and engaged citizens committed to improving themselves and the world at large. The program's interdisciplinary curriculum interweaves history, philosophy, art history, and literature to offer students a holistic understanding of issues ranging from transcendentalism to globalization to social justice. Students enrolled in each grade level are exposed to thematically organized material each year. Freshmen focus on global communities in Australia, Africa, South America, and Asia. Sophomores explore the foundations of Western civilization. Juniors examine America's tangled relationship with class, race, and gender. Finally, seniors survey modern thought to answer the fundamental question of what it means to "know" ourselves and our world.

Through this ambitious coursework, students confront challenging issues surrounded by an inclusive, multicultural community. More than 80 percent of CORE graduates attend four-year colleges after graduation, with others studying at community colleges as well. Although the program is a humanities magnet, alumni also pursue careers in science, mathematics, technology, and business.