Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center (VSMSC) is named for Baron Frederick Wilhelm Von Steuben (1730—1794), a Prussian officer, commissioned by George Washington in 1777 to train inexperienced American revolutionary troops at Valley Forge.  His regulations for the order and discipline of the colonials became the army’s standard drill manual, the Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States, which remained the official military manual until 1814.

Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center has not always been known by that name.  In fact, the facade of the building refers to the building as home to Von Steuben Senior High School.  That was true from 1933 to 1982.   Von Steuben originally opened its doors at the corner of Kimball and Carmen avenues in the Albany Park community as a junior high school in September 1930, with a capacity of 2,500 students.  In September 1933, it was designated as a senior high school with a portion of the building to be used as an elementary school.

Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center was established in September 1982 as part of the student assignment phase of the desegregation agreement between the Chicago Board of Education and the U.S. Department of Justice.  Under the plan, Von Steuben, formerly a predominantly Caucasian general high school, was converted into a metropolitan science center with an integrated student body and faculty.

As an Options for Knowledge high school within Chicago Public Schools (CPS), Von Steuben draws its students from many of the 500+ elementaries in the city of Chicago.  The student body is, therefore, a microcosm of the racial, ethnic, social and economic diversity found in the population of America’s third largest city.

Today, Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center is home to over 1,700 students in grades 9 through 12.  These students come from a diverse background including:

• .2% American Indian/Alaskan Native
• 14% Asian or Pacific Islander
• 29.9% African American
• 31.6% Hispanic
• 24.3% Caucasian

In 2007, renovations began on a building that began to take shape in 1929.  Extensive renovations include new windows, exterior doors, locker rooms, bathrooms, ADA-compliant facilities, easier access via two exterior ramps, interior lighting, landscaping and much more.  Renovation plans extend well into the 2009-2010 school year.