Lakewood's Early Schools

The school buildings of Lakewood reflect the changing population of our community over more than 175 years. The demands of the changing demographics of the community led to a building boom in the 1910s and 1920s and to the current restructuring. Throughout Lakewood’s history, the community has always had the best interests of its students in mind when making construction decisions. 

 The early settlers of Rockport (now Lakewood) were concerned about the education of their children. The first recorded school in what would become Lakewood was in Mars Wagar's house. He and James Nicholson then built a log schoolhouse opposite Nicholson's home and near the present site of Garfield Middle School. Several more log schoolhouses were built in the area.

East Rockport School District (which became Lakewood City Schools) formally organized in 1871 and three one-room schoolhouses were built. As Rockport's population slowly grew, these schoolhouses were replaced with larger buildings. The district replaced the one-room school on Warren near Detroit with a new four-room brick building, completed in 1879 for a total cost of $4,700. East Rockport Central School, as it was called, included one room specifically for high school students, giving area children their first opportunity to advance beyond eighth grade without traveling great distances from their homes. It was from this building that the first commencement took place in 1885, with only one graduate, Mary Hutchins. When classes were transferred to Grant and Wilson schools several years later, this building served as the Board of Education building. 

Enrollment in Lakewood schools grew rapidly, and a high school was built next to the East Rockport Central School. Lakewood’s first separate high school was a two-story brick colonial appropriately named the High School. The section facing Warren was started in 1899, but the first class was not held there until the fall of 1900. The building was expanded with a nine-room annex in 1906 and a two-room annex in 1912.

Two of Lakewood’s earliest school buildings remain standing in the center of town. The East Rockport Central School houses the Department of Recreation. The old Grant Elementary School houses the Board of Education. Both beautiful buildings serve as reminders of our community’s past.

The Lakewood Historical Society’s mission is to celebrate Lakewood’s past, educate the community and preserve information like this for future generations. The society relies almost entirely on volunteers and dues from society members to achieve this.

Want to learn more about the Lakewood Historical Society, find out about upcoming programs or purchase items? Visit us at www.lakewoodhistory.org.