Laurel School District history

Established in 1891, the Laurel School District has a rich history of providing a quality education to the children of Laurel.

A private school for girls, Laurel School was established by Jennie Warren Prentiss with an enrollment of seven students in 1896.

The house had been built in 1897 and had an Old World feel to it.

Originally known as Miss Prentiss' School, it was located in her home at 95 Streator Avenue (East 100th Street). Three years later, the school was incorporated and renamed the Wade Park Home School for Girls, a name which Miss Prentiss soon changed in 1899 to Laurel Institute.

After being used as a school for eight years, the local Catholic church used the building until Saint Joseph’s was built in 1901.

Albert Bryan was the architect of the Carnegie Library, which was built in 1903.

Growth was stimulated, in part, by the closing of MISS MITTLEBERGER'S SCHOOL in 1908 and the subsequent transfer of many of its students to Laurel.

In 1909, Laurel expanded into a larger building on East 97th Street near EUCLID AVE, where it remained for nineteen years.

In the summer of 1918, Laurel School began its first classes.

1927 The city’s growth inspires Mrs.

1931 Edna F. Lake updates the curriculum by adding Spanish to German, French, Latin and Greek; she broadens science offerings, expands athletic options, and plans trips to University Circle cultural institutions to enrich girls’ studies.

A chapter of Cum Laude, a national honor society for high school students, was established in 1932.

The first Laurel School was destroyed by fire in 1939.

The structure was replaced by a two-room building which served the community until the 1950's, when it was sold after the new building was completed.

1962 Strengthening Laurel’s competitive edge, Daniel O. S. Jennings merges the two-track academic program into a single college-preparatory curriculum; he promotes early literacy; transforms mathematics and social studies in the Lower School.

1977 Barbara R. Barnes rededicates the school to its focus on girls, emphasizes exceptional teaching, reestablishes connections among disciplines and introduces character education.

1984 Seeking to contribute to research about female psychology, Leah S. Rhys invites Carol Gilligan to conduct the five-year Laurel/Harvard Study on the development of girls.

1992 Helen R. Marter launches a school-wide initiative to explore diversity and revitalizes athletic facilities through the purchase of 140 acres in Geauga County.

Educating the Independent Mind: The First Hundred Years of Laurel School (1998).

Our most recent improvements, which were completed in 2001, have created a new look and added much to our school.