History of Yorktown Schools

1923 – Central Rural School District No. 2 constructs a two-story brick building with classrooms for K-12 students on Commerce Street, with additions coming in 1927 and 1935. The building would later be colloquially referred to as the Sixth-Grade School, with many residents remembering its final school use. [1] 

Circa 1930 — A major consolidation effort unites Yorktown’s previously scattered fourteen school districts into a more centralized system. The 1923 school building serves as the cornerstone of this reorganization, earning praise from state education authorities for its modern design and progressive facilities. [2]

1946 – The nickname “Cornhuskers” appears in print, referring to the Yorktown High School baseball team. Its casual usage suggests the mascot was already established by this time. The exact origin of the name remains unknown, though it had also been used by local semi-pro football teams in the early 1930s. [3] [4]

1950 – On August 7, the Yorktown School Board rejects a proposed consolidation plan that would have merged Yorktown with Shrub Oak and other nearby districts, despite a Columbia University survey recommending regional mergers. This decision preserves the identity of Yorktown Central School District No. 2 and sets the stage for its own growth and expansion throughout the 1950s and 1960s. [5]

1954 – Brookside Elementary School opens on Broad Street. Originally planned with 17 classrooms, the design was expanded mid-construction to 23 classrooms due to high enrollment projections. The school later served as a reference point for neighboring districts planning their own facilities. [6] [7]

1958 – As enrollment continues to soar, Crompond Elementary School opens on Manor Court, initially housing 900 students in grades K-6. [8] [9]

1958 – A long-range planning study is completed, predicting that the student population will triple over the next decade, necessitating up to five new school buildings. By the end of the decade, enrollment will have grown from 599 in 1950 to 2,490 in 1959. Additions are made to the Commerce Street high school and to Brookside Elementary School. [10] [11]

1959 – Voters approve a $4.5 million bond to build a new 1,000-student junior-senior high school (Yorktown High School) and an 800-student elementary school (initially referred to as the Corner School and later named Mohansic Elementary). Overcrowding is so severe that junior and senior high students are placed on staggered sessions for the 1959–60 school year. [12] [13]

1961 – Students begin classes at Yorktown Senior High School, allowing grades 9-12 to move out of the Commerce Street building. Mohansic Elementary School also opens, relieving primary‑grade crowding at Crompond and Brookside. [14] [15] [16]

1965 – With enrollment projected to rise to 4,500 students, the Board of Education approves plans for a new 1,200-student middle school to be constructed on the high school campus. [17]

1967 – The Board of Education votes to name the new middle school in honor of retiring District Principal Mildred E. Strang, who has led the district since 1945 and overseen its rapid expansion during a tenfold increase in student enrollment. [18] [19] [20]

1969 – Mildred E. Strang Middle School opens in September, complete with a state-of-the-art television studio, swimming pool, library, science labs, and more. The school initially serves students in grades 7-9, with sixth-grade students remaining the “Sixth-Grade School” on Commerce Street. [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28]

1969 – Yorktown Central School District gains superintendency status, ending its administrative oversight by BOCES and allowing the district to report directly to the New York State Education Department. Gordon Anderson is appointed as the first superintendent, marking a shift from the long-standing leadership model of a district principal. This change gives Yorktown direct authority to work with the New York State Education Department. [29]

1970 – French Hill Elementary School opens on Baldwin Road, enrolling approximately 460 students reassigned from Mohansic and Brookside Schools. The name, recommended by the town historian and others, was selected in 1968 by a 3-2 vote of the school board instead of an alternate option, Hallock Mill. [30] [31] [32]

1970 – Central administrative offices relocate from the Catalo Building on Commerce Street to a district-owned farmhouse near the high school on Crompond Road. The farmhouse, built in the early 1800s, was acquired when the school district purchased the land in the 1950s. [33] [34]

1971 – Yorktown voters reject two propositions to establish a district-owned transportation system, including the purchase of 45 vehicles and construction of a transportation garage on Broad Street. Voters rejected another proposal the following year. As a result, the district continues to contract busing. [35] [36]

1975 – As a cost-saving measure, the school board opts to close the Sixth Grade School at the conclusion of the 1974-75 school year, ending instructional use of the Commerce Street building more than a half-century after its construction. [37] [38]

1978 – The school board votes to close French Hill Elementary School due to sharp decline in enrollment across the district. The closure is confirmed with the passage of the district budget in June. [39] [40] [41]

1980 – The Town of Yorktown purchases the former Sixth Grade School building for use as a community and cultural center. The town had been leasing space in the building since its closing several years prior. [42] [43] [44] [45]

1981 – Yorktown Union Free School District, a small school district serving the Eleanor Roosevelt Campus of Wiltwyck School on Illington Road, merges with the Yorktown Central School District. [46]

1995 – Faced with rising enrollment, the school board votes to reopen French Hill Elementary School for educational purposes. Much of the building space had been leased to BOCES and other groups. A decade earlier, the board decided against selling the building. K-2 students return in September for the 1995-96 school year. [47] [48] [49] [50]

2003 – With the farmhouse showing signs of deterioration, the district leases temporary administrative office space at the Triangle Center. [51]

2006 – After voters approve a 2004 bond, the former high school library is renovated into office space, allowing the district to move its administrative operations out of the Triangle Center. [52] [53]

2010 – Citing declining enrollment, French Hill Elementary School once again closes to students. The building is subsequently leased to various tenants. [54] [55]

2011 – The nearly 200-year-old farmhouse, located near the entrance of the Yorktown High School campus, is demolished. [56]

2014 – In September, Yorktown launches its first full-day kindergarten program after voters approve the 2014-15 budget the previous spring. [57] [58] [59] [60]

2023 – The district launches a full-day Pre-Kindergarten program in partnership with the YMCA of Central and Northern Westchester. The program is located at the repurposed French Hill School. [61] [62]