Our School

Nationally Recognized & Historic 

Hume-Fogg, Nashville's first public school, was founded in 1912, and it became the first secondary magnet school to serve Nashville's academically talented students in 1983.

Grad Girls HuggingToday, Hume-Fogg serves academically advanced students from the entire metropolitan Nashville area. We are committed to the provision of a challenging college prep program within a structure of support and acceptance, where student voice is valued and diversity is celebrated. Academic courses are taught at the honors or Advanced Placement level, and students are required to take six courses per semester, with a minimum of three AP credits for graduation. Hume-Fogg offers two relatively unique advanced courses: Advanced Calculus (post-AP) and the two-year AP Capstone/Research class.

In addition to our rigorous academics, we maintain a nationally recognized arts program, including jazz, symphonic band, orchestra, visual arts, choir and theater. We also offer advanced study in Latin, Spanish and French.

Hume-Fogg was founded on a commitment to maximizing individual potential, including emotional and physical well-being through hard work and personal responsibility. We do this by promoting sensitivity to natural, social and cultural environments. Our work is deeply rooted in our shared beliefs and high expectations for ourselves and others.

Our History

Hume-High School, Nashville’s first public school, opened in 1855 at the corner of Eighth Avenue (Spruce Street) and Broad.  In 1875, the second public school, Fogg High School, was started on the same property facing Broad Street.  The schools were combined into a new facility on the same site in 1912 and became known as Hume-Fogg High School.  In 1919 Hume-Fogg High School became the first school in Tennessee to be accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. 

Until 1940, the curriculum followed the classic format which included requirements in Latin, English, advanced mathematics, and science.  After that time and until 1983, the curriculum was changed to include technical and vocational subjects.

The 1983 advent of the first secondary magnet school to serve Nashville’s academically talented students was another milestone for Hume-Fogg.  As a part of the desegregation court order, it was designed to attract a voluntary cross-section of academically accelerated students from all racial, ethnic, and economic groups in Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County.  It began with grades 9 and 10, adding a grade a year through the 1985-1986 school year.

Hume-Fogg Academic High School, established in district response to the “white flight” occurring in Nashville following desegregation, provides an exceptional quality school for advanced students across ALL races and ethnicities to come together at the central point of our city to learn and grow.   Today, Hume-Fogg serves over 900 students in grades 9-12 from across the city, representing a wide array of ethnicities, cultures, and backgrounds.

Our Mission

Our mission is to engage, equip, and empower the academically talented and culturally diverse students we serve.

  • engage them in a high quality college preparatory program of study

  • equip them with the knowledge and skills necessary for success

  • empower them to be people of courage, compassion and character

Our Vision

Our vision is that every Hume-Fogg student will graduate and enter college with a love of learning, a knowledge of self, and a respect for others and ideas, resulting not only in academic success and personal fulfillment but also in meaningful and sustained contributions to society.     

Our Philosophy

Our philosophy is rooted in a foundational love of learning, a commitment to personal and communal responsibility, and the celebration of diversity as a conduit for advanced intellectual, social/emotional and civic development.  

Our program of study provides challenging academic opportunities through liberal arts course work.  Based on the assumption that graduates will pursue post-secondary education, cornerstones of our philosophy are creative thinking, abstract reasoning, cooperative learning, and self-discipline.  Our work is deeply rooted in our shared beliefs and expectations.

 

School Hours

8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

School Cluster

Use the online zone map to learn more about our school cluster.

Board Member

District 5