Timeline

  • 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.

    Union School

    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. 

    Lincoln School

    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.

    Chestnut Ridge Road School Newton Road School Ellicott Road School Michael Road School Milestrip Road School

    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.

    South Davis groundbreaking

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

    1957 - Windom Elementary was built.

    Windom Elementary

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

    1965 - Eggert Elementary was built.

    Eggert Elementary school

    1968 - Ellicott Elementary was built.

    Ellicott Elementary

    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." 

     Century of Excellence logo

    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.

    District Administrators breaking ground.