FAMU Developmental Research School K-12

The FAMU DRS has a rich and interesting history. Founded in 1887, the DRS (formerly known as Lucy Moten), was established as a Teacher Training School for Florida A&M University. Then in 1932, the Lucy Moten Elementary at Florida A&M University was established as an outgrowth of the Model School. The school was created specifically for students studying at the grammar school or Colored Normal School. Over the years, the name of the school has changed several times to include Demonstration School, Laboratory School, and FAMU High School.

During the early years of the school's existence, it served only elementary students and was located in temporary quarters at 424 Osceola Street in Tallahassee, Florida. In the Fall of 1921, it was known as the Demonstration Elementary School. Due to increased enrollment, The Model School (as it was then called) moved its three intermediate grades to the junior high school building on South Boulevard. The new facility had been known as the Teacher’s Cottage.

The "laboratory school" nomenclature was functional until the Florida Legislature enacted the Sidney Martin Developmental Research School Act of 1991, which designated the K-12 laboratory School as a Developmental Research School. Further, the legislation mandated that FAMU DRS operate as a designated public school district, and stipulated that "the mission shall be the provision of a vehicle for the conduct of research, demonstration, and evaluation regarding management, teaching, and learning. Further, FAMU DRS shall emphasize mathematics, science, technology, and foreign languages."