In August of 1849, the first Board of Education was established in Chagrin Falls. The Board purchased the old Ashbury Seminary on Philomethian Street and the one-room schoolhouses located throughout the village were consolidated into a Union School.
In 1879, Hugh Christian completed the entire required curriculum and received the first Chagrin Falls High school diploma. He was the only member of the graduating class. In 1885, the brick Philomethian Street School was constructed and referred to as the Chagrin Falls Union School. In 1907, the Chagrin Falls Schools were granted a charter from the State Department of Education.
In 1927, the Board of Education acquired 54 acres of land on East Washington Street, which was the site of the old Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds. Harris Stadium now stands in that spot and still makes use of the fairgrounds’ former grandstand. In 1937, the Chagrin Falls Schools become the Chagrin Falls Exempted Village Schools, “exempt” from county control.
In 1957, the Lewis Sands Elementary School was built on the East Washington Street property. In 1959, a new high school was also built on this property and the first outside graduation was held at the athletic field. In 1966, the T.C. Gurney Elementary School was built in South Russell. Finally, in 1999, the new Middle School was built at the former Lewis Sands location with shared-use facilities with the high school.
For more information on our District's history, visit the Chagrin Falls Alumni Association website.
