Northwest Academy of Law

Northwest Academy of Law
5140 Riverview Blvd St. Louis, MO 63120
Information
Former names	Northwest High School Northwest Accelerated Middle School
Type	Magnet high school
Opened	1964
Closed	2022
School district	St. Louis Public Schools
Superintendent	Keisha Scarlett
Principal	Christopher Crumble
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	194 (2018)
Campus type	Urban
Color(s)	Blue and Gray
Athletics conference	Public High League
Sports	Baseball, Basketball, Soccer, Cheerleading, Football, Softball, Track and Field, Volleyball, Wrestling
Mascot	Hornets
Website	www.slps.org/northwest

Northwest Academy of Law was a magnet high school in the Walnut Park East neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. It was a part of St. Louis Public Schools, and closed in 2022.

About

The school opened in February 1964 as Northwest High School. It was built in 1960 on the grounds of a former synagogue. The high school initially closed in 1992, and re-opened as a middle school in 1993. ^[1] In the 2000s, Northwest was converted to a magnet high school. ^[2]

The student body was made up of 194 students with around 95% being African-American in 2018. The average ACT score was 13.4 and the graduation rate was 70%. ^[3] The mission of Northwest Academy of Law was to provide rigorous and relevant educational background particularly in Law to prepare students for success in college and in the workplace. ^[4] Northwest held mock court sessions where students defend themselves when they are accused of breaking rules. ^[2] In 2017, Northwest won its first state championship in basketball. ^[5]

In January 2021, the SLPS board voted to close eight schools, including Northwest, at the conclusion of the 2020–21 school year. ^[6] Northwest closed in 2022. The building was briefly occupied by a charter school following the closure, but has sat vacant since 2022. ^[7]

Alumni

• Carl Madsen, NFL official

References

1. "Walnut Park East Neighborhood Overview". stlouis-mo.gov. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
2. Takeda, Kristen (March 2, 2018). "Students are judge and jury at St. Louis high school" . Retrieved September 16, 2018.
3. "Transportation and Law". St. Louis Post Dispatch. January 18, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
4. "Northwest". St Louis Public Schools. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
5. Jr. Austin, Earl (March 14, 2017). "Northwest Academy wins first state championship in boys basketball". St. Louis American. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
6. Delaney, Ryan (January 13, 2021). "St. Louis Public Schools Will Close 8 Schools, Sparing 3". St. Louis Public Radio. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
7. Mccubbins, Mike (November 23, 2024). "An Inventory of 70 Former Public School Buildings in STL". NextSTL. Retrieved January 13, 2025.