East Side High School was established under the direction of Rev. R.C. George, who served as principal from 1958 to 1968, and Henry B. Wilkerson served as the second principal from 1968 to 1970. Opened as a segregated school for African Americans, East Side existed for just eleven years before integration. Its alumni include Judge Bernice Donald, appointed to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2011, and Leon Gray, who played football at Jackson State and in the NFL after playing for the East Side Golden Dragons.