April 1, 2010: View of the 1914 Diagonal school building. The round tube is a fire escape.
The home of the smallest high school in Iowa marked its centennial this year. The main building for Diagonal schools was built in 1914, meaning it’s been around for three-fifths of Iowa’s existence as a state. Last school year, Diagonal was the only district in Iowa with a certified enrollment under 100 that had a high school.
Half of the 10 smallest districts in Iowa in 2013-14 will not exist in 2015-16. Diagonal is in the half left standing, benefiting from the dissolution of neighboring Clearfield.
Another active school building in Iowa to turn 100 in 2014, Prescott, likely will not make it to 102 given current talks with Creston.