|
Campus | Central | Cole | Franklin | Lincoln/Fort
Boise | McKinley | Mountain
Cove | Orchard | Park CAMPUS SCHOOL - 2100 College Boulevard
1953-1991
Campus School opened in 1953. It was a twelve room
school located on the campus of Boise Junior College.
The school provided college students in the field of
education a place for practice teaching under Boise
School District supervision. The classrooms were built
with observation rooms with one-way mirrors. These
observation rooms were attached to master teachers'
offices.
When Boise Junior College became a four year college,
space was taken from the Campus School playground area
for new construction of buildings. As the college expanded
and enrollment increased, space needs became greater,
and the Campus playground area progressively became
smaller.
In 1990, the school was sold to Boise State University
and classrooms were converted to offices and teaching
spaces.
CENTRAL SCHOOL - 610 North Seventh Street
1906-1973
 The
State Legislature passed a law on February 4, 1881
creating the Independent School District of Boise City
No. 1. The School District began operations in the
large Central School building in September, 1882. The
school housed four grades; primary, secondary, grammar,
and high school. Central was the only public high school
during the territorial period. The original building
was located at 8th and Jefferson (the site of the State
Capitol Senate Chambers).
A new Central School opened in 1906 at the corner
of 7th and Washington The old building was used for
a time for some special programs, and burned in 1908.
Beginning in 1946, Central was the home of the cadet
teacher program for Boise College.
Central was closed at the end of the 1971-72 school
year,but was used as the District's Alternative School
during the 1972-73 school year. The school was then
sold to the State and was demolished in 1974 to make
a parking lot.
COLE SCHOOL - 7415 Fairview Ave.
1888-2008
 Photos
of Cole before closing in 2008
In 1888 the area to the west of Boise City was known
as "The Bluffs". "A new school will be built immediately
in District 5 across the river on the bluffs," resounded The
Idaho Daily Statesman on Saturday, February 18,
1888.
Mr. and Mrs. Orrie Cole donated two acres of land
about four miles from town in 1888 for the construction
of the new public school. All the neighbors helped
build the school. It was a one room school and the
teacher was Cynthia Mann, who taught grades 1 through
8. Within five years the school was overcrowded. In
1902 a new structure was started and the old one room
school was moved from the premises. The old structure
was moved to a site in Northwest Boise, where it resided
until 1984, when it burned to the ground.
The new school was a two-story building. The two downstairs
rooms were ready for occupancy in 1903. By 1906 four
rooms were finished; three were used for classes and
the fourth for programs and community gatherings.
In 1934 there was need for classroom space. Four more
classrooms were added, along with a new stairway and
a gymnasium. The original school was red brick, but
the entire school was stuccoed so it would match the
gym. In 1941 a tunnel was constructed to connect the
basement of the school to the gym. In 1946 the bench
area grew at such a rapid rate that Cole School held
half-day classes. Changes were taking place rapidly
in 1947, and patrons of Cole wanted to be part of the
newly organized Class A Ada County No. 2 Fairmont District.
This lasted just a short time, and on January 12, 1948,
Cole was annexed into the Boise District by voter approval.
In 1952, seven classrooms and an office were added
to the old building, replacing portable and temporary
buildings. Cole School became overcrowded and in 1960
four temporary classrooms were set up in the gymnasium,
in anticipation of passage of a bond issue to build
additional schools. The bond passed and new schools
were built. The area still grew and in 1969 the last
major structural change took place with the addition
of four classrooms to the end of the 1951 addition.
In 1991, significant improvements were made to the
school, including the restoration of the old cupola
from the second Cole School, and a reroof of the main
building.
The school closed in 2008 as part of a District project
to consolidate several elementary schools into new
facilities.
Back to Top
FRANKLIN SCHOOL - 5007 W. Franklin
1905-2008
 Photos
of Franklin before closing in 2008.
In 1903, a decision was made to build a new schoolhouse
made of stone, to accommodate the increasing number
of students, to replace the over crowded one-room Scott
School.
Even before the cornerstone of the new school was
laid, on the corner of Orchard and Franklin, the school
board met and chose the name Franklin School. This
much needed building was completed in the summer of
1905. The school bell was added in 1907. High school
classes were taught beginning in 1908 and in 1911 Franklin
School graduated its first high school student.
Once again the school was overcrowded. Fortunately,
in 1914, a construction bond was successful and a two-room
frame structure was added to the stone schoolhouse.
In 1915 a manual training and domestic science building
was built just south and west of the stone schoolhouse.
An addition was made to the stone building in 1920.
Between 1924 and 1934 four additional acres were added
to the school grounds.
 From 1911 to 1917 there were no high school graduates
from Franklin School; most students attended Boise
High School. However, Franklin awarded high school
diplomas every year from 1917 until 1949; it became
an accredited high school in 1934. 1936 saw a large
expansion for Franklin School: three classrooms, a
gymnasium, boys and girl’s dressing rooms, new space
for the domestic science and manual training programs,
and a social room for community affairs. Three additional
acres were also added to the school grounds this same
year.
District #45, to include Franklin School, was annexed
into the Boise School District in 1949 and thus ended
Franklin School’s "career" serving high school
students. In this same year, a permanent twelve-room,
two-story structure was added to the west end of the
main building. This construction included a new entrance
to the school and a new office area. In 1974 a six-room
satellite building was constructed on the northwest
portion of the playground to accommodate the schools
expanding population.
The school closed in 2008 as part of a District project
to consolidate several elementary schools into new
facilities.
LINCOLN SCHOOL/FORT BOISE - 300 Fort Street
1949-1992
 The
first Lincoln School was built in 1896 at the corner
of Fourth and Idaho Streets. The District Administrative
Offices were located in the basement of Lincoln for
several years and Board meetings were held there. In
1949 the Superintendent's Report indicated that the
old Lincoln School could be sold when a new Lincoln
was completed. The Boise Barracks, located at 300 Fort
Street, was the best location for this school,  according
to Superintendent Zed L. Foy. The old Lincoln was closed
at the end of the 1949-50 school year the new Lincoln
opened the next fall.
The new Lincoln School was opened in 1950 as an opportunity
school for children needing remedial work. The school
served grades 1-8. Lincoln remained as the District's "special
education school" until the late 1980's, when
the move to more inclusive schools caused the District
to relocate most services to the sites.The Gifted and
Talented Program then was housed at Lincoln for a period
of time, before being moved to site locations.
In 1992, Lincoln School's name was retired, and the
school became the District alternative junior high
school. The building was called the Fort Boise Learning
Center. In 1999 the name was changed again to Fort
Boise Mid High. In 2008 the school was closed and students
began attending Frank Church High School.
Back to Top McKINLEY SCHOOL - 6400 Overland Road
1952-2008
Photos of McKinley before closing in 2008.
From the late 1940s through the 1950s the population
of the bench area grew and McKinley Elementary opened
its doors to students in 1952. Throughout the
rest of the century many additions and improvements
were made to the school facility and playground.
The school closed and was torn down in 2008 as part
of a District project to consolidate several elementary
schools into new facilities. The building was replaced
by Grace Jordan Elementary on the same site.
MOUNTAIN COVE HIGH SCHOOL - 911 Mountain Cove Rd.
1992-2008
 Mountain Cove High School began operations in the
1992-93 school year as the District began to explore
the possibility of initiating an alternative secondary
school for at-risk students. The school's site had
formerly housed occupational classes and G.E.D. programs.
In its first year, 94 students attended Mountain Cove,
and the program offerings were limited to core classes.
Initially, Mountain Cove was to support students for
a fairly short period of time; students were to return
to their "home" school after they picked up necessary
credits. Over the ensuing years Mountain Cove saw the
addition of several classrooms, a library, and a computer
lab. Child care facilities were available for students
with children, and a state-of-the-art cafeteria facility
was added.
By 1998, Mountain Cove's enrollment had grown to over
400. The school held its first prom during 1995, and
developed its identity as the Boise District's fifth
high school.
The school was closed at the end of the 2007-08 school
year. Students now attend Frank Church High School.
ORCHARD SCHOOL - Orchard, Idaho
1950-1966
Orchard was a one room, grade 1-8 school serving the
families of this rural community south of Boise. Orchard
was a railroad town. In 1950 the Orchard School was
annexed to the Boise School District. Students in junior
and senior high were bused to Boise secondary schools.
The school operated for sixteen years in the Boise
District. It closed at the end of the 1965-66 school
year. The town lost population when the railroad changed
its operations and close down some of its lines. The
last year Orchard School operated it had fourteen students
in grades one through six.
Since the school closure in 1966 the old school bell
has been lost, as has the date marker showing when
Orchard was built.
PARK SCHOOL
1902-1949
 The
city's growth in the early 1900's dictated that more
schools were needed in the Boise District. A new school
was built on the then west side of the city (just southwest
of the current city center on what is now busy Fairview
Avenue). On September 8, 1902, the Board met to name
the new school. The school was named City Park School.
On May 7, 1903 the Board met again and changed the
name to Park School.
A total of twelve classrooms were added to the school
in the next ten years. Among the improvements made
in the next decade was the addition of a Teacher's
Rest Room. The area around Park School grew rapidly
after World War II, and traffic caused problems for
children walking to school. It was suggested at a Board
Meeting in February of 1945 that a site for a new Park
School in the Pleasanton addition be set aside.
Park School was closed at the end of the 1948-49 school
Year. Principal Harold Nelson was transferred to Whittier
School, and the building was put up for sale. The school
was torn down in 1950 and the vacant lot put up for
sale in 1951. The land was sold in 1952. A new Park
School was never built.
Back to Top Return to Find
a School Directory and Map | History
of the Boise School District
|
