History of OPCSD

1806 - Didymus C. Kinney purchased land in the valley of 18-Mile Creek for the first school.

1830 - “The Red Schoolhouse” was erected on what is now called East Quaker Street.

1859 - The first brick school house was erected on the south side of West Quaker Street.

1866 - John Allen built a private boarding school known as the Academy.

1869 - Mr. Allen sold the Academy to the Quakers, who called it the East Hamburg Friends Institute.

1881 - The Academy’s main building was sold to the Town as the Union School. The Brick school was condemned.

1882 - The Academy building burned. School was held in the condemned brick school.

1885 - A new school was built on the Academy site. It had four classrooms.

1898 - The Board of Regents approved Orchard Park Central Schools for grades 7-12. 

1904 - First Regents exams and diplomas - a milestone in New York State.

1914 - The new "Lincoln School" was erected for grades 1-12 at what is currently the site of the OP Boys & Girls Club. Student population was 300. 

1921 - North wing built on the Lincoln School. A gymnasium and auditorium were added.

1936 - South wing added to the Lincoln building.

1944 - Five rural schools, Michael, Ellicott, Chestnut Ridge, Newton, and Milestrip Rd. became more centralized in the Orchard Park.

1948 - Districts across the state were centralized and Orchard Park was officially recognized as the Orchard Park Central School District.

1949 - New Junior-Senior High opens. It was a Model School and was featured twice in Seventeen Magazine. This was the site of the current Middle School.

1952 - South Davis Elementary was built.

1954 - Wing and swimming pool added to the Junior-High School (Now part of the Middle School).

1957 - Windom Elementary was built.

1960 - New Junior High was built. (Now part of the High School complex).

1965 - Eggert Elementary was built.

1968 - Ellicott Elementary was built.

1976 - Baker Elementary was built. Eventually it would house District Offices until 2013 when the Offices moved to 2240 Southwestern Blvd.

1976 - Junior High became the High School and the old Senior High became the Middle School. 

1992 - An additional wing is added to the Middle School and elementary schools.

1998 - The District celebrated a "Century of Excellence." 

 

2011 - The Southwestern Boulevard property was purchased.

2013 - The District Offices and the Transportation Department moved to the Southwestern Boulevard property.

2016 - Ground was broken on the most recent capital project, which included renovations on the Middle School pool and auditorium.