Little White School House

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.

Location of Leslie Avenue School

In 1891 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.

Niles Schools Origins

Like other small frontier communities, Niles struggled to establis and maintain a system of public schools. Before James Heaton laid out the village and provided land for the first public school, a small log-cabin school with greased paper windows, was located on South Main Street. About this same time, Hermon Harmon. also seems to have taught in a school that stood on the high ground above the Heaton Grist Mill located along Mosquito Creek.

About 1834, the first public school, a little white frame building, was erected on North Main Street where the McKinley Memorial now stands. The first parochial school was organized by St. Stephen Church in 1868.

With the exception of 2 or 3 one room schools located on Chestnut Street, Walnut Street, and two more were reported on the South Side of Niles, it wasn't until 1871, that Niles was able to build a major school. Central (Union) School, a three story brick structure, opened for classes May 22, 1871, with six teachers, including the principal. That same year marked the appointment of the first superintendant of schools, L.L. Campbell. Twenty years were to pass before additional schools could be built, beginning with Leslie Avenue School on the corner of Leslie and Linden Avenue( which is now a church) in 1891.

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.

With the exception of Central School and the new McKinley High School (1914), all the public schools were referred to by the name of the street they were located on; for example Garfield school was originally referred to as Third Street School.

In 1919, due to the efforts of Marion Kelley, a newspaper reporter and member of the Board of Education, the existing schools were renamed for U.S. presidents.

Built 1893, Warren Avenue School-Jackson School; Built 1896, Cedar Street School-Lincoln School; Built 1905, Bert Street School-Monroe School; Built 1905, Third Street School-Garfield School; Built 1911, Bentley Avenue School-Jefferson School; Built 1919, Madison Avenue School-Roosevelt School. Built 1920, Harrison School in McKinley Heights; Built 1924, Washington Junior High School; Built 1957, S.J. Bonham on East Margaret Avenue was named after the previous school superintendant who promoted the 1953 bond issue that allowed for the new school buildings of the New McKinley High School, the new Lincoln School and the new S.J. Bonham school. which were needed due to WWII 'Baby Boomers'.

Central High School

Built in 1893

The Warren Avenue Building, renamed Jackson School in 1920, became the Administration Building when the new Jackson School on Smith Street was dedicated in 1965. The building has been sold.

Built in 1896

The Cedar Street Building, renamed Lincoln School in 1920, was later razed in 1958 after the new Lincoln School on Frederick Street was opened in 1956.

Built in 1905

The Third Street Building, renamed Garfield School in 1920, was the oldest continuing school building until its closure in 2003.

The building was sold in 2005 and was razed(2019).

Built in 1905

The Bert Street School Building on Belmont Avenue, renamed Monroe School in 1920, 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.

Built in 1911

The South Bentley Avenue Building, renamed Jefferson School in 1920, 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.

Built in 1914

The new Niles 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. It was renamed Niles McKinley High School in 1920.

The building became Edison Jr. High School in 1958 and was razed when the Niles Middle School on Brown Street opened in 2003.

Built in 1919

Madison Avenue School, renamed Roosevelt School in 1920, became an annex to the high school when S.J. Bonham Elementary School was dedicated in 1957. The building was razed in the 90s.

Built in 1920

Harrison School, built in McKinley Heights, Route 422 closed in 1956. The students were bussed to Washington Elementary School. New school student attendance areas were redrawn with students attending the new Lincoln Elementary School on Frederick Avenue.

Built in 1924

Washington School on Hartzell Avenue served both as a junior high and an elementary school.

In 1958 all junior high students attended Edison Jr. High School. After the baby boom surge, Washington again served both as a junior high and an elementary school.

It was razed in 2013 when the new Primary School and Intermediate schools were built.

(L) 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.

(R) Our Lady of Mt. Carmel's first school with grades K-4 opened in 1949.

Built in 1957

The 'new' Niles McKinley High School on Dragon Drive opened in 1957. The doors closed in April, 2003.

The view of the high school along Mosquito Creek and War Memorial Gymnasium.

Built in 1957

S.J. Bonham Elementary School opened in 1957 on East Margaret Street. At that time it was the only school not named after a U.S. President.

S.J. Bonham was the Niles City Schools superintendant during the late 1930s through the early 1950s. He became the assistant superintendant to primarily focus on the passage of a school bond issue to build new schools in anticipation of the influx of the baby-boomers. The bond issue passed with a new Niles McKinley High School and two elementary schools, Lincoln Elementary and S.J. Boham Elementary were built.

It was razed and a new intermediate school for grades 3-5 opened in 2013 on the same site.