Petersburg Colored Elementary School was the only African American school in Petersburg, Tennessee. It burned in 1944. The following year a new two-room school was constructed for students in grades first through eighth. To separate the student body, a third room was added for students in grades one through third in 1949. After completing elementary school, students were bused to West End High School in Fayetteville, Tennessee. The school closed in 1965 due to desegregation, and African American elementary students then transferred to Petersburg Elementary School. Today, the building serves as the Petersburg Senior Citizen Building.