Category Archives: Schools

July 17, 2020: “The $125,000 new school building at Lake Center is complete and will be opened next Monday to serve the oldest consolidated school district in Iowa. The new school house is two stories and basement, entirely fireproof and … Continue reading →

Plus some auxiliary before-and-afters. Oakville’s school closed in 1980 (Wapello Republican, 4/20/95, via IAGenWeb) Rodman’s school closed in 1980 (West Bend Gazette, 12/13/79) Bedford Elementary, which I think was the original high school, had a bat infestation in 1980 (Clarinda … Continue reading →

I am breaking things up into five-year spans, which tells you how much information I’ve found, and how many schools were closing in the 1980s. Doon’s school closed in 1985 (Lyon County Reporter, 6/26/85) The closure was a two-year-long issue … Continue reading →

June 22, 2014: The Wayne school district’s midyear closure of the school in unincorporated Cambria in December 1995 is a crucial link in a discovery I explained weeks ago: It contributed to a streak of closures that predated the modern … Continue reading →

June 24, 2017: The rear addition of the Arthur school building is close to the original’s style except for the color of the bricks. Starting off with a bullet from earlier so the next one makes sense, and admitting a … Continue reading →

Someone took the last shot in an official basketball game in the gymnasium. Someone was the last student out the door on the last day. Someone was the last school district employee to lock the doors. When I started my … Continue reading →

It’s not Iowa, but it’s covered by an Iowa TV station, and it shows that the issue of school closures is widespread. Newcastle is 36 miles northwest of Sioux City on NE 12. The school Newcastle’s students will be going … Continue reading →

September 30, 2015: The Doon school building has been a community center for about 35 years. This photo was taken during my first and so far only visit to Doon. (I recommend the pizza burger at the Corner Cafe.) The … Continue reading →

Sure, a lot of things didn’t happen in the past year and change. One thing that didn’t happen, though, is unique. In 2020-21, for the first time in the 55-year modern era of Iowa school districts, no community lost its … Continue reading →

June 5, 2014: The oldest portion of the Newell-Fonda Community School opened on February 5, 1912. “The new building marks an era of progress in the Newell schools. In coming years, it will be a monument of foresight of the … Continue reading →