The Expansion

After its early beginnings, Lorain began its expansion. With a growing school population, the district had to follow suit. To better educate students planning was done to determine the format and structure of the district. This lead to the 3-level system we know now but with some modifications in grade levels in each school. Lorain officially had elementary, junior high, and high schools. Check out what schools were developed as part of the expansion.

Longfellow

The original Longfellow building was both the junior high and the site for the Lorain High athletic field. In 1995 when Lorain High School was converted into a middle school Longfellow was also converted into being an elementary school. In 2005 Longfellow became Longfellow Middle School with an entirely new building housing grades 6-8.

Irving

In 1921 Irving Junior High was opened on 4th Street and Hamilton Ave. It began as 14 classrooms but in 1924 6 classrooms were added to the 2 story building. Irving was another one of the schools that began as a junior high and eventually changed to an elementary school.

Whittier

Whittier junior high was finished in 1922 and was located on the South Side of Lorain. This school was named after the poet John Greenleaf Whittier. The building held 20 classrooms on 2 floors and was around for many years, just being closed in the early 2010s.

Hawthorne

Hawthorne Junior High was completed in 2022 on Oakdale Avenue and 20th Street. Just like the other schools built during the expansion it was a 2 story, 20 classroom building. In 1995 Hawthorne Junior High became the district's largest elementary when Lorain High became a middle school. In 2006 Hawthorne was removed and the new school opened in 2010 on the same site.

Boone School

Boone School was adjacent to Hawthorne Junior High in 1938, part of the payment of this building was from Franklin D. Roosevelt's Public Works Administration. Boone School received its name in honor of the Lorain City Schools, Superintendent Dalton J. Boone in 1938. Renovations of the building resulted in connecting this school to Hawthorne making the school a K-8 building.

Lakeview Elementary

Lakeview was opened in 1952 on 11th Street and Lakeview Drive. The building underwent renovations in 1954 and again in 1970. The school was the home of the Montessori program, the program was designed to instill empowerment in students. Lakeview was also home to the gifted program, where students who were advanced in their education could attend. Lakeview was closed in 2010 and reopened as Admiral Ernest J. King Elementary School.

Charleston Elementary

black and white photo of school with flag pole in front

Charleston School was located on Pole Avenue and Charles Street (now West 23rd St.) and was a part of the Black River Township before Lorain. The building was opened from 1957-1979 as an elementary school and became a Vocational School. It later became the Charleston center, which was home to the administrators of the district.

Emerson Elementary

Emerson was named after essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson, the school was opened in 1957. The school was located on Longfellow Parkway. It eventually became a preschool and was closed in 2007.

Homewood Elementary

Construction of Homewood began in 1956 and was opened in 1957. In 1958 an auditorium, gymnasium, and kindergarten classrooms were added, doubling the size of the school. Homewood served as a site for students who were displaced from other buildings before its closing and demolishment.

Jane Lindsay Elementary

black and white photo of outside of building

In 1958 this school was opened on Garfield Avenue. The building was named after the former principal of Fairhome School. The building closed as a school in 1978 and reopened in 1980 as a Community Center. The center was for senior citizens and special education classes. The building was purchased by the Senior Center with the help of the Lorain Community Development Department in 1996. The Lorain Senior Center is still open on Garfield Avenue.

Masson Elementary

black and white photo of school building with trees surrounding

The 10th new school built on the pay as you build plan was Masson Elementary. The school was opened on West 40th Street in 1959. The building initially held 12 classrooms and over the years additions were added. So many additions that the building housed kindergarten through 8th grade. Masson was closed in 2012.

Admiral King High School

black and white photo of front of building and school sign

Admiral King was built at 2600 Ashland Avenue, in response to a levy passed by 1 vote in 1958. The school is named in honor of Lorain Native, Admiral Ernest Joseph King, the first five-star Admiral in U.S. Navy history. In 1961 a dedication ceremony was held for Lorain's first public high school built since 1916. The first principal of this school was J.F. Calta. The name of the Admirals and colors of gold and blue were chosen by a newspaper survey. The image of the goat was used because the U.S. Naval Academy used the same image.

In 2010 Southview and Admiral King were consolidated utilizing the Admiral King campus. Classes were shortly moved to the Southview campus in 2012, to make room for the construction of the new Lorain High School. Admiral King was demolished and this site is now home to Lorain High.

Southview High School

In 1939 the school board was interested in building a high school in South Lorain but eventually decided to add to Lorain High. In 1958 it was obvious that with the baby boom a new high school was needed. In 1959 a tax issue placed on the ballot allowed for Lorain to buy land for the new high school. 8 years later construction was underway and the community submitted names, with Southview being the winner.

The school was opened in 1969 and students decided to name themselves the Saints. The fight song was "When the Saints Go Marching In" and an angel with a black eye was their logo and mascot. Southview was closed in 2010 and became the building of Whittier Middle School, in 2011 the new Southview middle school was opened leaving the building empty. In 2012 Southview became the temporary home for Lorain High while construction for the new building began.

Meister Road Elementary

Meister Road Elementary was opened in September of 1971 on Meister Road. The school was an open classroom school and was designed around a new concept. They eventually added walls to the classroom to allow for contained private rooms. This building began to house Lorain Digital Academies in 2006. The building was closed in 2007.