Famous people's places / Detroit – Near East Side
Sidney D. Miller School
Closed – archive entry · 2007
Detroit school building opened in 1921, a de facto high school for Black students until 1957, where jazz greats Yusef Lateef and Milt Jackson studied music.
01 / The story of this place
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Sidney D. Miller School opened partially in April 1921 as Detroit's first purpose-built intermediate school, with the building completed in 1922 to hold 1,700 students. Because of segregation-era enrollment patterns, Miller functioned as the de facto high school for the city's Black students from 1933 until 1957, giving it an outsized role in Detroit's jazz history. Saxophonist Yusef Lateef and vibraphonist Milt Jackson, both future jazz giants, attended Miller in the 1930s: Lateef switched from alto to tenor saxophone there, while Jackson played drums, timpani and violin and sang in the school choir. After 1957 the building continued as a junior high and then middle school until Detroit Public Schools closed and vacated it in 2007. Miller was designated a Michigan Historic Site in 1986 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011, and the school building on DuBois Street now houses University Prep Science and Math Elementary.
- Opened in 1921 as Detroit's first purpose-built intermediate school
- De facto high school for Black students, 1933–1957
- Yusef Lateef and Milt Jackson both studied music here
- Closed by Detroit Public Schools in 2007
- On the National Register of Historic Places since 2011
- Building now houses University Prep Science and Math Elementary
Famous Detroiters
Famous people tied to this place 2
Lexicon entries for the people who lived, worked, performed or liked to spend time here.
- Yusef Lateef 1920–2013 · jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, educator, author
Studied here
His high school, where he switched from alto to tenor saxophone. Miller was a high school until 1957 and a middle school until 2007; the building now houses University Prep Science and Math Elementary.
- Milt Jackson 1923–1999 · jazz vibraphonist, composer
Studied here
His high school, where he played drums, timpani and violin and sang in the choir. Miller was a high school until 1957 and a middle school until 2007; the building now houses University Prep Science and Math Elementary.
Sources & fact check · Checked: 2026-09-25
An independently written bilingual guide. This collection is not an attendance-based ranking.
03 / Events
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