School Starts on Mercer Island
Little White House ca. 1909
(click for larger image)
Quality schools have always been important to Mercer Island. Hired in 1884 by Henry and Agnes Olds to teach their two children Henry Kelsey (for whom Kelsey Creek in Bellevue is named) will go down in history as Mercer Island's first teacher.
In 1889 concerned parents started East Seattle's first school in a warehouse on what is now the Calkins Landing neighborhood. School District 28 was organized and Miss Clarissa Colman of the pioneer Colman family (Colman Dock) was the teacher for the nine pupils.
East Seattle was the center of Island education for many years and the first East Seattle School was built in 1890 on the site of the current Secret Park at West Mercer and SE 27th. Eight grades were in one room. Difficulties hiring teachers, inclement weather, long walks to school, all shortened the school year. In 1891 there were 11 students, one teacher who's salary was $50 a month and 78 school days. By 1905 there were 18 pupils,173 school days and the teacher's salary was still $50 a month. The little white school house served the Island for 24 years.
Allview Heights School was built in 1890 where the library now stands. It closed in 1895 due to lack of students. Several other schools were built between 1890 and 1912 but none lasted very long.
By 1914, the Island had almost 100 students, most of them in East Seattle and a new school was constructed. The new school was terracotta and the building lasted until 2020. 81 students in nine grades started school in the new building in September, 1914. The building, much remodeled, served as a school until the mid-1970's, when it became the home of the Boys & Girls Club. The oldest public building left on Mercer Island was demolished in December, 2020.
On the South End, students attended classes in a shack on the southwest side of the Island. In 1918, improvement bonds were issued to build a schoolhouse for all grades,1-8; Lakeview School which is now known as Sunnybeam School.
By 1930 all children attended East Seattle School or Lakeview School. Students walked, rode horseback, bicycled or later rode the first school bus. In 1938 a federal grant was obtained by School District 28 to add a gymnasium and auditorium to East Seattle School. The Works Progress Administration provided labor worth $14,000 and despite the Great Depression the Island passed a levy which added $2,550. Materials included recyled materials from the closed schools, including Allview Heights.
By 1941, with improved roads and diminished enrollment at Lakeview School, all elementary students were bused to the remodeled, enlarged East Seattle School. The two districts merged to form the current Mercer Island School District 400. High School students took the ferry to Seattle or Bellevue.
The school population burgeoned with the opening of the floating bridge in 1940 and the Island's first multifamily development, Shorewood Apartments in 1949. As the number of students increased, so did school construction. Many of the current schools were built between 1950 and 1960 and have been remodeled and updated many times.
There is more information about Mercer Island schools in Mercer Island, From Haunted Wilderness to Coveted Community.
