Excelsior High School

137 Mountain View Avenue

Kingston 3

Jamaica, W.I.

Founded 1931

Ph:876-938-0751

                         Principal: Mr. Deanroy Bromfield

 Mr.  Deanroy Bromfield

Excelsior High School was the brainchild of the visionary A.W. Powell  who believed that age, poverty, social class or skin color should not be impediments to securing a formal education. The school began it's existence on January 19, 1931 at 9 Hampton Street; Kingston, Jamaica W.I. which was the residence of the parents of the founder.                                                                    

The school began as an infant school but before the end of the first term Cambridge and Commercial departments were added. Excelsior was a refuge for many students who were turned away from the traditional government Secondary Schools, because they were too old to gain acceptance.

Hon. A. W. Powell-Founder

Excelsior's early reputation was forged on Cambridge Examination successes, discipline and table tennis victories. The attendant publicity which was garnered, attracted pupils in large numbers,

which led to the enduring problem of finding accommodations. This led to a number of relocations, initially to a specially built hall at 23 Hampton Street. Due to burgeoning enrollment, the school was housed at 18 North Street and overflowed to 16 North Street (formerly the Hampton Court Hotel).

In order to accommodate students from the rural area, boarding accommodations were extended to girls at 7B Lissant Road, and to boys at 4 Central Avenue. This increased the enrollment from 180 to over 600 in August 1945.

Excelsior continued to grow, and in 1938 thirty-five acres, part of the Antrim property, were acquired in anticipation of future development which was delayed after the end of World War II in 1946. The first seven buildings of the new campus were constructed between 1947 and 1948 at the present site at 137 Mountain View Avenue. This was facilitated by a substantial loan, through the Bank of Nova Scotia, which Mr. Powell was able to obtain.

The Antrim Campus was a realization of a dream by Mr. Powell and successive groups of Excelsorians. The move to Antrim, from North Street, was a monumental achievement and marked a significant milestone in the history of Excelsior and the Jamaica educational system. The year 1951 also signaled another epochal achievement for Excelsior, when the school ceased to function as a private school and became a Government Grant-Aided institution under the aegis of the Ministry of Education. The school was adopted by the Methodist Church and from then on the Church has played a pivotal role in the life of the school.

Mr. Powell anticipated that a large number of students, who were late bloomers, would benefit from continuing education. As a consequence, a second shift, the Extension School was established for overage students who had not been granted a place through the Common Entrance Examinations, as well as those who had failed the GCE O'Level. Mr. Powell always envisaged education as an ongoing process - from the cradle to the grave - for anyone who was willing to learn.

EXED

Excelsior Education Center was part of the vision of Mr. A. W. Powell whose dream transformed Excelsior into a multifaceted Campus to provide education for all from ages 3 to 100. This concept had it's genesis in 1962 and was approved in 1968. Between 1971 and 1977, the new concept spawned the Pre-Primary and Primary Schools; the Community College, Day and Evening Divisions were also established during this period.

The Community College provides education for the traditional 6th form and also include Business, Teacher Training and Nursing, among other disciplines. The Community College Evening offers continuing education for mature students. The Day and Evening Divisions, which were established more than 25 years ago, now come under one umbrella and is overseen by a sole Principal.

In 1978 the Extension School was absorbed into the High School, which then became a two shift school. Excelsior has continued to educate generations of Jamaicans for close to 75 years. These proud graduates now occupy important positions in Jamaica and throughout the world. EXED has continued to grow and create new opportunities as the needs are identified. The Institution plays an invaluable role at the forefront of the Jamaican educational system.