Johnnie M. Parris Colonial Drive
10755 SW 160th Street Miami, Florida
In May 2023, Miami-Dade County Public Schools renamed Colonial Drive Elementary the Johnnie M. Parris Colonial Drive Elementary, in honor of the civil rights pioneer and Richmond Heights community organizer who played a significant role in the school’s construction in 1967.
Official School Renaming Ceremony
Presented by The School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida and the Superintendent of Schools
History of Colonial Drive Elementary School
Johnnie M. Parris Colonial Drive is a historic elementary school and the fight to build it is part of Florida’s history, the history of the fight for educational equality. It represents several firsts. It was the first integrated school in Dade County constructed from the ground up. It represents the struggle and efforts of a community to bring a segregated educational system and student population together in a distinctive pod designed facility.