Year Minimum Foundation building program completed 1956 for Dublin city; 1956 for Laurens County Then, as now, Dublin and Laurens County are separate school systems. For one year, however, 1965-66, they seem to have been united as Dublin-Laurens. Dublin city finished its building program in 1956, one that modernized the city schools to the point the oldest had been built in 1949, according to the Jan. 11, 1956 Dublin Courier-Herald. The state funds only benefited Oconee High and Washington Street Elementary and those were a cafeteria, library, industrial shop and two classrooms. That seems small by the standards of other school systems, but Dublin had been using other sources. Before the state money, African American schools in the city had been boosted in 1952 by federal funds in Susie Dasher Elementary and an addition to it three years later. Oconee had opened earlier in the 1950s, its source of funding currently unknown. Laurens County had some twists and turns in its school situation for Black students. Starting with the easiest part, Mary Fleming and Millville were built as all-grades institutions. Millville is located at Dudley, Mary Fleming a few miles south of Dublin on U.S. 441. There was to be a third high school, at Brewton. The white Brewton School was set to completely consolidate, first with Wilkes (both were grades 1-12), then in the new East Laurens, which opened in April 1956. With Brewton's school empty, Laurens authorities thought they had a fantastic deal that they could simply fix up Brewton, add a few classrooms and more cheaply repurpose a perfectly good school building into another Black high school. It did not happen. As East Laurens was being finished, the April 10, 1956, Courier-Herald said a group of Brewton residents complained that work had not stopped at the Brewton site, despite workers being told to cease in February 1956. It seems that there were problems with a survey of the school. A portion of it was on private land. The owner had been fine with Brewton School, but he and Brewtonians now had opportunity to voice their opinions. As the June 19, 1956 Courier-Herald put it, Black students would be in the "center of a white neighborhood." Black citizens spoke up that summer, asking for a school in their portion of the county, and asking for a solution for the 1956-57 school year. The Sept. 15, 1956 Courier-Herald reported the citizens rejected going back to their old schools, rejected a plan to fix up Buckeye, one of the larger schools in that area. They also spoke up against a plan to split their children between Millville and Dublin city. A new site was the solution. The Feb. 23, 1957 Courier-Herald said bids were happening to soon to built at a new site at Mount Zion Church on the Wrightsville Highway. The new school's construction costs were valued at $312,000. Brewton, now sitting unused, cost $232,000. Dr. B.D. Perry Elementary and High was completed for the 1958-59 school year using state funds that do not seem to be at a charge to Laurens County. In 1961, the Atlanta Constitution said the the state-held title to Dr. B.D. Perry was traded to Laurens County for Brewton. Many solutions were considered for Brewton, some more optimistic than others. During the decade after work was stopped, the main ones were - a home for severely handicapped children (akin to Augusta's Gracewood), a military installation and school for the new children if Laurens got said military base. None happened. Brewton became a $255,000 albatross. The only thing that worked was that later Laurens sold it at a loss to a local to get it off their hands. The building was vandalized within years of its abandonment and never found a use. It is still sitting, rotting and abandoned on the outskirts of Brewton.

Year of total integration 1970.

Known high schools Dr. B.D. Perry (Laurens County) Mary Fleming (Laurens County) Millville (Dudley, Laurens County) Oconee (Dublin city) Washington Street (Dublin city) Oconee replaced Washington Street.

Known schools 1953-54: Susie Dasher Elementary 1955-56: Susie Dasher, Oconee High, Washington Street (full city list); Buckeye Junior High, Fleming Chapel Junior High, Laurens Hill, Mary Grove Junior High, Millville, Mount Pullen, Pine Forest Junior High, Royal Chapel, Zion Hill The Georgia Department of Education begins publishing a list of schools in 1956-57. 1956-57: Mary Fleming (grades 1-12), Millville (1-12) (county); Susie Dasher (?-6), Oconee (7-12), Washington Street (1-3) (city). County list not complete. 1957-58: Mary Fleming (grades 1-12), Mount Pullen (1-8), Millville (1-12), Royal Chapel (1-8), Zion Hill (county); Susie Dasher (grades 3-6), Oconee (7-12), Washington Street (1-3) (city) 1958-59: Mary Fleming (grades 1-12), Millville (1-12), Dr. B.D. Perry (1-12) (county); Susie Dasher (3-6), Oconee (7-12), Washington Street (1-3) (city) 1959-60: Mary Fleming (grades 1-12), Millville (1-12), Dr. B.D. Perry (1-12) (county); Susie Dasher (3-6), Oconee (7-12), Washington Street (1-3) (city) 1960-61: Mary Fleming (grades 1-12), Millville (1-12), Dr. B.D. Perry (1-12) (county); Susie Dasher (3-6), Oconee (7-12), Washington Street (1-3) (city) 1961-62: Mary Fleming (grades 1-12), Millville (1-12), Dr. B.D. Perry (1-12) (county); Susie Dasher (3-6), Oconee (7-12), Washington Street (1-3) (city) 1962-63: Mary Fleming (grades 1-12), Millville (1-12), Dr. B.D. Perry (1-12) (county); Susie Dasher (3-6), Oconee (7-12), Washington Street (1-3) (city) 1963-64: Mary Fleming (grades 1-12), Millville (1-12), Dr. B.D. Perry (1-12) (county); Susie Dasher (3-6), Oconee (7-12), Washington Street (1-3) (city) 1964-65: Mary Fleming (grades 1-12), Millville (1-12), Dr. B.D. Perry (1-12) (county); Susie Dasher (1-6), Oconee (7-12), Washington Street (1-3) 1965-66: Susie Dasher (grades 1-6), Mary Fleming (1-12), Millville (1-12), Oconee (7-12), Dr. B.D. Perry (1-12), Washington Street (1-3) 1966-67: Mary Fleming (grades 1-12), Millville (1-12), Dr. B.D. Perry (1-12) (county); Susie Dasher (1-6), Oconee (7-12) Washington Street (1-3) (city) 1967-68: Mary Fleming (grades 1-12), Millville (1-12), Dr. B.D. Perry (1-12) (county); Oconee (4-12), Washington Street (1-3) (city) 1968-69: Mary Fleming (grades 1-12), Millville (1-12), Dr. B.D. Perry (1-12) (county); Susie Dasher (4-6), Oconee (7-12), Washington Street (1-3) (city) 1969-70: Mary Fleming (grades 1-12), Millville (1-12), Dr. B.D. Perry (1-12) (county); Susie Dasher (4-6), Oconee (7-12), Washington Street (1-3) (city)

Additional notes