Provisions for the first African American public school in Wills Point were made around 1878, and the school was first located on the north side of town on what is now North Wills Street before relocating in 1926 to Bertha Street south of town. Although underfunded, it attracted certified African American teachers, some of whom taught children during the day and their parents at night. In 1930, when grades were extended through tenth grade, the school was named for principal and teacher Professor Robert L. Cartwright. A new school was built with land and labor provided by the local African American community and grant funds from the Rosenwald Foundation, which was established to improve African American education in the South. In 1935 and 1938, students won awards in math, declaiming, and debate competitions at Prairie View College, a historically black college. Enrollment grew over the years, and Samuel A. Sparks was hired as principal in 1944. Classes were extended through twelfth grade in 1949, and the school became a state-accredited high school, adding acapella choir, homemaking, basketball, and other activities to the curriculum. The last graduating class was in 1965 after integration, and several original buildings were demolished in 1998, but a state grant later helped convert the gymnasium into a multi-purpose center. The school remains a reminder of the hardships and determination involved in providing education to the African American community.