The transition from private to public school was rather gradual in Richmond. Between 1789 and 1910, several prominent academies flourished, but the public school system generally began on May 20, 1890, in an act of the general assembly of Kentucky. In that year the Richmond City School acquired the Madison Academy property, on which a new eight room building was dedicated in 1894. Several years later, two more rooms were added; and this building, known as Caldwell High School, was used for school purposes until 1921, when it was destroyed by fire. On July 5, 1919, the Richmond city Board of Education leased the property of the Madison Female Institute for ninety-nine years. The Female Institute had been a famous southern finishing school for girls. Following the
Civil War era
Battle of Richmond, the building was used for hospital wards, where both Union and Confederate soldiers were cared for by teachers and students. Caldwell was destroyed by fire on Wednesday, March 9, 1921. The Board of Education voted in favor of an $80,000 bond in order to erect a new building on the Madison Female Institute property. For the remainder of the school year and through the next two years (1921–1923), the school was forced to use the county courthouse and churches to hold classes. In the fall of 1923, the Madison High School building was completed at a cost of $250,000. At that time, it had thirty-one classrooms, one music room, a science laboratory, three rooms for domestic science and manual training, a large cafeteria, a library, two office rooms, an auditorium capable of seating about 900. An 800-seat gymnasium was added in 1927. In 1950, new classrooms were added to provide more space, but by 1955 the entire building was so crowded that it was necessary to have double sessions in several grades. Later some of the churches were used for the first grade students until the new elementary schools (Bellevue and Mayfield) were completed in 1959. In 1962, a $135,000 renovation of the building was initiated. New dressing and shower rooms were added to the gymnasium. A new cafeteria and superintendent office were completed in 1963. For twenty-five years (1936 to 1961), the school formed a unique relationship with then
Eastern Kentucky State Teachers College and its laboratory school,
model. This was accomplished through the efforts of then
EKSC president Herman L. Donovan and Richmond City Schools superintendent William F. O'Donnell. O'Donnell had been superintendent of Richmond City Schools since 1925 and later became President of
Eastern in 1940. The schools were accredited jointly by the
Southern Association of Secondary Schools as
Madison-Model High School. The two divisions retained their respective organizations, but combined such activities as commencement, athletics, and music until the schools were separated after the 1960–1961 school year. Through the 1955–1956 school year, Madison High was a
segregated school. Richmond's
African-American students attended
Richmond High School (located on East Main Street). In the fall of 1956, Richmond High was integrated into Madison as the Richmond City Board of Education carried out the
Supreme Court's Brown decision. A gradual integration program was initiated that year as sophomores, juniors and seniors from
Richmond High were enrolled at Madison. By 1960, freshmen were admitted as well. Richmond Junior High and Elementary remained open through the 1972–1973 school year. Beginning with the 1973–1974 school year through its closing after the 1988–1989 school year, the fifth through twelfth grades attended Madison. Bellevue Elementary was used exclusively for first and second graders while Mayfield Elementary housed the third and fourth grades. The Richmond City Board of Education received national recognition for this innovative move that integrated the entire district. As Richmond grew and many citizens began to move to suburban locations on the outskirts of the Richmond City Schools district lines, a steady decline in enrollment gradually took place. By the 1980s, the school graduated (on the average) about 35 students a year. A combination of losing students to the
Laboratory School, inability to expand the city school district (which resulted in a dwindling tax base) and the demographic trend known as
white flight led to the decision to consolidate with the county system in 1989. The school nickname (adopted in 1925) was the 'Royal Purples'. Its physical plant is now the site of Madison Middle School, which opened in the fall of 1992 (after extensive renovation) and is one of five middle schools (grades 6–8) in the
Madison County school system. Initially, the Madison County Board of Education voted to adopt green and white as the new school colors, but (after protests from several Madison High alumni) changed the decision and opted to keep the old school colors (purple and white). They did, however, decide to change the school's nickname to Panthers. ==Notable alumni==