Category Archives: Schools

Jun 11

Elma school to be demolished

Third of three blog posts related to a May 23 DNR press release. August 4, 2015: The former Elma Elementary School. Five years ago the Howard-Winneshiek School District voted to close its attendance center in Elma, the second of three … Continue reading

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May 22

Photo(s) 34,000

Also approximately my 2500th blog post (depending on when this actually goes up). April 19, 2017 Abandoned schools aren’t unique to Iowa. They’re scattered across the Great Plains. I found emphasis on that as I drove across the southern tier … Continue reading

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May 20

Essex holding on to its high school

In a update to this post, there has been a change in the Essex school district’s strategy. In a series of KMA stories: A school board member resigned in early March because he felt he was “going in a different direction … Continue reading

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May 13

Everly will lose its school

“The Everly Cattlefeederettes won the sectional tournament at Hartley last week. Members of the squad are Jeanette Olson, Vicki Birchard, Cindy Fliss, Janet Scharnberg, Jo Scharnberg, Connie Selk, Lynda Nordstrom, Jan Scharnberg. Judi Walton, Jean Cadwallader, Linda Nath and Sua … Continue reading

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Apr 11

Red Oak school to become apartments

The Red Oak school district is relocating its middle school students to the school complex on the north side of the city, but the current facility won’t be demolished when students depart for the last time this summer. KMA reports … Continue reading

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Apr 09

Iowa’s oldest active school sticking around

The 1848 building at the core of Bellevue Elementary will remain in use at least a little while longer after a bond issue vote last week. A majority of voters opposed a referendum to replace the school, the Bellevue Herald-Leader … Continue reading

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Mar 30

An unfortunate closing in the nick of time

In 1978, as enrollment in the South Page school district was falling*, the district closed its attendance centers in both Braddyville and Coin. It was a far cry from the optimism of just over a decade earlier, when voters approved … Continue reading

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Mar 20

When Clear Creek was rural

(An unintended companion piece to yesterday’s blog post.) During the 1980s, the Clear Creek school district was in dire straits. They couldn’t get money for nothin’. In 1989, Clear Creek cancelled its football season a week before it began, leaving … Continue reading

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Mar 19

Clay Central-Everly losing high school, junior high

October 3, 2016: The welcome sign for Royal, pop. 446, former end of IA 240 and soon-to-be-former football field for Clay Central-Everly. For the tenth time this decade, an Iowa district is closing its high school without getting any students in … Continue reading

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Feb 22

A look into Marshall County school history

This is just the kind of thing I like to see when I’m looking into the “genealogy” of school districts, so I better give the Marshalltown Times-Republican some props for this two-story series. Marshall County rural schools: A history (1) … Continue reading

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