Fargo Central High School

Fargo High School and Grade School was built in 1882 on a full city block bounded by Second and Third Avenues South, between 10th and 11th Streets. It cost $40,000 to build. It was used for all grades 1-12. In 1899, the High School building provided six teachers in the high school (grades 9-12) and ten teachers for grades 1-8. The three story building had 21 rooms. The original building built in 1882 was expanded in 1900 to the size shown in the postcard above.

In 1886, Fargo High's first five alumni graduated: Mrs. Beulah Amidon (nee McKendry), Chester Johnson, Alice Johnson, Reecher Starbird, and Will Twomey. By 1908, the graduating class had grown to 51. There were 441 graduates in the 23 years from 1886 to 1908.

The early principals of the high school were: Charles F. Amidon (1882), Leonard A. Rose (1883), Elizabeth A. Kent (1884-1901), Lein(?-?), Miss Loveridge(?-?), Mr. E.C. Gray(?-1907), and Mr. C.D. Spaulding (1907-?).

The high school offered two courses of study. The college preparatory curriculum included history (ancient, modern, and American), languages (English, Latin, and German), physics, physiography (a combination of astronomy, geology, and meteorology), biology, zoology,chemistry, and mathematics (algebra, trigonometry, and geometry).

The high school also offered a commercial course of study that included bookkeeping, commercial arithmetic, shorthand, typewriting, commercial geography. The high school was destroyed by fire in December 1916. Fargo Central High School was built on the same site in 1921. It too was destroyed by fire on April 19, 1966.

Today there are two high schools: North High and South High. Additional information about the present high schools can be found at the Fargo Public Schools website.