The History of the Schools in Niles, Ohio
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| E-Mail Us | Phone: 330.544.2143 | Mail: PO Box 368 Niles, Ohio 44446 |
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Niles Historical Books for sale
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Little White School House
Location of Leslie Avenue School |
Leslie Avenue School A drawing of the “Little White School House” as it was referred to, was the first school house built soon after the town was plotted in 1834. It was built on the north side of what is now the Memorial grounds. It was in that school that William McKinley, the future president, received his first formal education. One room school houses were also located on Chestnut Street, Walnut Street, and two more were reported on the South Side of Niles. In those days, custom required that boys and girls sat on opposite sides of the room. They sat on long benches fronted with a sloping shelf that formed a desk. The teacher’s desk was a more distinctive affair, standing on a platform opposite the door. Behind the teacher’s desk was a blackboard. Teachers boarded in the homes of pupils, bringing them in close contact with the parents, and enabling the less affluent to defray a good part of their school costs in this way. Books were scarce, highly prized, and usually well preserved, since successive members of the family were expected to use them. In 1842 with the growing population, it became necessary to construct a second school house near the northeast corner of Leslie and Linden Avenues. The frame building was renamed Grant Street School in 1920. It has been razed. |
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Central High School |
In 1870 a three story brick and mortar school(Union School then Central School) was built and opened in 1871 with six teachers. The school was located on State Street where the Central Apartments are presently located. It was described as “the best in the county”. By 1890 the average teacher’s salary was $45.00 a month. Parents paid term tuition for each child of 80 cents for primary grades, $1.20 for grammar school, and $1.80 for high school. The bell for the tower has moved from the Central School tower to a rock pedestal on the lawn of Niles McKinley School(1914), to Niles McKinley High School(1959), and finally is displayed at the new(2013) Niles McKinley High School on Dragon Drive.
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P01.1185 |
1893 The Warren Avenue Building, renamed Jackson, became the administration Building when the new Jackson School on Smith Street was dedicated in 1965. The building has been sold.
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1896 The Cedar Street Building, renamed Lincoln School, was razed when the new Lincoln School on Frederick Street was opened in 1956. |
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1905 The Third Street Building, renamed Garfield School, was the oldest continuing school building until its closure in 2003. The building was sold in 2005 and is in the process of being razed(2019). |
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1905 The Bert Street School Building on Belmont Avenue, renamed Monroe School, was closed and razed in the 60s. It had only four classes, grades 1-4 and was attended by children living in the 'Russia Field' district. |
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P01.1215 |
1911 The South Bentley Avenue Building, renamed Jefferson School, was closed in 1980 and razed. Senior housing apartments are now built on this site. Students living on the south side of Robbins Avenue attended grades K-6.
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S11.124 |
P05.52 |
1914 The new McKinley (Edison) High School was built, on Church Street between Arlington and Chestnut Avenues, because the Central School was not large enough to accommodate the growing student population. The building became Edison Jr. High School in 1958 and was razed when the Niles Middle School on Brown Street opened in 2003. |
P03.8 |
P01.1192D |
1919 Madison Avenue School, renamed Roosevelt School, became an annex to the high school when S.J. Bonham School was dedicated in 1957. The building was razed in the 90s. |
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P11.342 |
1920 Harrison School, built in McKinley Heights, Route 422 closed in 1956. |
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1924 Washington School on Hartzell Avenue served both as a junior high and as an elementary school. It was razed in 2013 when the new Primary School, Intermediate schools were built. |
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St. Stephen's Church, Academy and school in the year 1905. The building in the forefront was once the Music Academy and then became the Sister's Convent. The school was razed in 1954 after a new school was built on the other side of these buildngs. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel's first school with grades K-4 opened in 1949. |
P01.1202 |
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1957 The 'new' Niles McKinley High School on Dragon Drive opened in1957. The doors closed in April, 2003. The view of the high school along Mosquito Creek and War Memorial Gymnasium. |
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Bonham Elementary School |
1957 S.J. Bonham Elementary School opened in 1957 on East Margaret Street. It was razed and a new intermediate school for grades 3-5 opened in 2013. 1965 Jackson Elementary School was built in 1965, the first climate-controlled school in Niles on Smith Street. It was razed in 2013. |
Jackson Elementary School |
