Wednesday marks the end of a 60-year era at Walker Upper Elementary School. 

Named in honor of Haswell Hunter Walker, head of the Lane High School mathematics department, Walker opened its doors to city students in 1966 as one of two new junior high schools in Charlottesville alongside Buford. 

Walker remained a junior high school that educated Grades 7-9 until 1974, when it became a middle school serving Grades 6-8 following the opening of Charlottesville High School. After 14 years as a middle school, Walker became the city’s lone upper elementary school in 1988, teaching all of Charlottesville fifth and sixth graders, while Buford turned into the city’s only middle school, serving seventh and eighth graders. 

For the past 38 years, all of Charlottesville City Schools’ fifth- and sixth-grade students have attended Walker Upper Elementary School before heading to middle school at Buford, which was recently renamed Charlottesville Middle School. 

But starting in the 2026-27 school year, the Walker campus will take on a new role in educating the City’s students. This fall, Walker will transform into the Charlottesville Early Learning Center, the new home for all of Charlottesville City Schools’ preschool students. The campus will undergo some minor renovations this summer in preparation for the change. (A brand-new early learning center building is slated to be built on this same campus over the next few years).

Fifth-grade students will shift to the city’s six elementary schools (Greenbrier, Jackson-Via, Summit, Sunrise, Trailblazer and Tall Oaks), while sixth-grade students will head to the newly renovated Charlottesville Middle School.

As we move into a new and exciting future at Charlottesville City Schools, Walker will always hold a special place in our hearts and in our city’s history. 

Did you or your student attend Walker? Share your favorite Walker memories in the comments below.