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]
