Cuyahoga Falls

High School

After the organization of Cuyahoga Falls township, school district number one and part of district number eight lying within the limits of the new township were organized on April  24, 1854 as the Cuyahoga Falls School District of which Rev. Levi L. Holden was appointed acting manager.

On May 15, 1855 the Board of Education employed Mr. H. K. Taylor as principal and Mrs. Taylor as assistant, at a joint salary of $700 for forty weeks.   

Mr. Taylor was succeeded by 

Mr. L. H. Delano in 1861

Professor William I. Chamberlain in 1863

 Mr. George McLaughlin in 1865

 Mr. W. C. Rogers in 1866

 B. B. Tremlin in September 1866

 Virgil P. Kline Esq. in July 1867

 Edward R. Sill  in September of 1869

 Miss Almeda A. Booth in July of 1871

 Mr. George L. McMillen in 1874

 Professor Augustus N. Bernard as superintendent and master of the Union schools in 1875. 

W. H. Rowlen in 1883

Professor Frederick Schnee in 1885

The first High School was  in a building north of St. John's Church originally built for a house of worship by the Wesleyan Methodists. The high school was called the Central School (Lyceum)  and was where students attended after going to either Stow, Tallmadge, Portage or Northampton Elementary Schools. In 1872, Central School (Lyceum) became an elementary school.

A three-story brick High School building was commenced in 1866 and completed in 1871. The stone and brick work was done by George Allison of Tallmadge.  George Thomas of Akron completed the carpenter work along with painting and plastering. The two acres that the building sits on was donated by James H. Cooke. 

With the new building also came new studies. Added to the norm was history, geography, philosophy, algebra, Latin, German, etc.

The first phase of the present high school was opened in 1922 with an enrollment of 650 students. The second phase of the "original" building was opened in 1927. The building is located at 2300 Fourth Street. An annex was added in 1949. In 1961, a new addition was opened. The vocational wing was opened in 1969. 

1962 Falls High Majorettes in front of the Falls Theater - Courtesy of Barry Scholles