Hockinson's documented school history begins in 1870, when residents of the settlement then known as Eureka organized a public school. Over the next century and beyond, small rural schools consolidated, new buildings opened, the district expanded, and Hockinson High School began serving students in 2003.
Hockinson school history at a glance
- 1870: organized public school history begins
- 1895: documented Hockinson school building
- 1929: Fifth Plain consolidates with Hockinson
- 1954: expanded elementary school dedication
- 1970: school centennial
- 2003: Hockinson High School opens
1870: organized schooling begins
Residents of the small settlement then known as Eureka organized a public school in 1870. Hockinson later marked 1870–1970 as the centennial of its school history. This is one of the clearest documented early institutional dates in Hockinson history.
The 1895 Hockinson School
A surviving historical drawing identifies a Hockinson school built in 1895 and shows how the building looked in 1918. Bradley Katzele made the drawing from an old photograph. Read more about the 1895 Hockinson School.
Near the end of World War I, Hockinson District No. 8 was operating in its fourth schoolhouse. Erik Mattson's school-history essay describes four classrooms—two upstairs and two downstairs—and remembers the building's pot-bellied stoves, teachers and assembly space.
Consolidation and district growth
Mountain View and Salmon Falls later consolidated with Hockinson. In 1929, Fifth Plain also consolidated with the district, and Hockinson District No. 8 became District No. 94. The same history records a drilled well with an electric pump in 1924 after the older spring-based water system regularly went dry. The consolidation story is covered in How Fifth Plain, Mountain View and Salmon Falls Became Part of Hockinson.
The 1954 school dedication
Postwar enrollment eventually forced another building campaign. New facilities expanded through the 1950s, with a major dedication on November 12, 1954. Read more about the 1954 Hockinson Elementary dedication.
From junior high to Hockinson High School
Hockinson became a junior-high community in 1962 and celebrated its school centennial in 1970. Hockinson High School opened in 2003. For the first time, the district that had grown from the 1870 Eureka school tradition could provide a local high-school experience as well. See how Hockinson High School began in 2003.
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Historical sources
- From a Forest Clearing: A History of Hockinson School
- Erik Mattson, “Hockinson School History”
- Hockinson Elementary School Dedication Program, Nov. 12, 1954
- “Starting From Scratch: Students at Hockinson High Work on Creating Traditions,” Amy McFall Prince, 2003
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