The 12 Oldest Schools In Oklahoma Are Ancient

Oklahoma is home to some of the oldest and most ancient schools. Schools in the State date back even before territories were drawn. Oklahoma territories were drawn in 1889 and the county was officially drawn in 1890. The state only achieved statehood in 1907.

However, it’s one of the oldest states with human inhabitants dating back to 9500 BC. There were several schools before statehood was achieved. But most schools have been built after achieving statehood. 

So, what are these old and ancient schools in Oklahoma? In this post, I’ll discuss the oldest ancient states in Oklahoma. How were they founded and where they are right now?

Keep reading to learn the rich history of some of the oldest schools in Oklahoma and their contribution to the State.

Elementary

Sacred Heart Catholic School

2700 South Shartel Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73109

The Sacred Heart Catholic School was founded in 1911, just four years after Oklahoma State was officially drawn. It’s an old school that has served the local community for years. 

The school was opened and run by the Catholic church and is in operation today. Sacred Heart centered its curriculum around religion, mathematics, science, computer science, language arts, physical education, music, Spanish, art, social studies, and liturgy.

Sacred Heart elementary school runs a religious curriculum from the Archdiocesan Catholic Schools Office. The school works to find the right program that fits the needs of every child.

The school also participates in a variety of sports activities. There is a cheer club, a running club, and several athletic sports. Major sports in the school include soccer, track, volleyball, baseball, and basketball.

Capitol Hill Middle School

2717 S Robinson, Oklahoma City, OK 73109

Capital Hill is another old school in Oklahoma dating back to 1920. It’s a top school that has seen tremendous growth over the years. The school offers free meals for needy students.

It also has several programs designed to meet students with homelessness. Capitol Hill is one of the few schools benefiting from the NOVA program. The program helps serve academically gifted students from grades 1-8.

The school also offers a comprehensive academic program and several athletic opportunities. The school is still open and continues serving the residents of Oklahoma.

Britton Elementary

1215 NW 95th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73114

Britton Elementary is another old school in Oklahoma. The school was built in 1931 but its creation dates back to 1911. In 1911, the school was established and called Science Hill. The name change to Britton was done in honor of the pioneer owners.

The school serves kindergarten students up to grade 4. It offers a comprehensive curriculum and a number of extracurricular activities. The extra activities help with academic endeavors, artistic opportunities, and community involvement.

Major activities in Britton include a backpacking program, musical outreach program, after-school tutoring, and a scholastic Book Fair. It’s one of the few schools with advanced technological learning activities for students. Students are involved with Chrome Books, and World Book Online Smart Board.

Middle Schools

Classen Junior High School

3100 N Kelley Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73111

Classen Junior High School was founded in 1919 and is one of the many schools built immediately after the end of World War 1. This is most certainly one of the oldest public schools in the entire Oklahoma.

The area under which the school was constructed was part of land under development by a real estate developer. Oklahoma City Public School Board bought 6.33 acres and a cost of $55,100. The school buildings cost the city $420,500.

In the years 1921, 1923, 1925, and 1934, the school was enlarged with more classrooms. In 1925, Classes started admitting high school students and changed its name to Classen High School.

Enrolment in the school declined years later and the school closed its doors in 1985. The school building changed and become the 5th-year center. The Classen School of Advanced Studies opened its doors in 1994 with 627 students enrolling.

The school covered grades 6-10 with the first class graduating in 1997. It offers a great curriculum and several extracurricular activities.

Daniel Webster High School

1919 W. 40 St. Oklahoma 74107

Daniel Webster High School is another ancient school in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The school was founded in 1938 and makes up part of the Tulsa public schools in the area. It’s located in the west section of Tulsa.

The school offers classes for students from grades 9 to 12. In 2021, Webster High School was placed in the National Historic Registry as a Historic District.

Currently, the school contains 15 classrooms, 2 cafeterias, a library, a corrective gymnasium, a girls’ gymnasium, a lecture room, a 400-seat auditorium, 2 manual training rooms, a domestic science department, offices, and dressing rooms.

Capitol Hill High School

500 SW 36th St, Oklahoma City, OK 73109

Capitol Hill High School is another old school in the state. The school is part of the Oklahoma City Public Schools. It was founded in 1919, immediately after World War 1.

The school started as a junior high school. In 1928, it opened the Capital Hill High School. This was the first high school in the South of the North Canadian River, the poorest section of the city.

The school has grown tremendously since then, helping educate the local community. It’s a school with a lot of history and several interscholastic sports activities. 

A notable alumnus of the school is Jack Van Pool who played as a quarterback at the school. He led them to a 12-0 win in the state Championship. He would go on to join the Oklahoma Sooner and the army.

High Schools

Irving Independent School District

2621 W. Airport Freeway Irving, TX 75062

Irving Independent School is another old and ancient school in Oklahoma with a rich history. The school was founded in 1909 at the current Bowie Middle School. Irving High School did not have any graduates during the first World War in 1918.

In 1961, Irving High School changed its location to its current campus. By 1963, Irving High School was the only high school in the area until MacArthur High was built.

The victory bell for the school was presented by the class of 1956. This was done in front of the entire school at the previous location. The bell would be rung after a win for every point scored. Currently, the victory bell is located in the foyer just outside the school cafeteria.

Irving remains one of the best high schools in Mississippi offering a comprehensive curriculum and curricular activities. The school focuses on fine arts and education for the deaf.

As time went by, more high schools were built. Nimitz High followed 5 years later. The school has been in operation since then, celebrating its centennial year in 2009.

Oklahoma Christian School

4680 E 2nd St Edmond, OK 73034

Oklahoma Christian School is another old school in the state. It was founded in 1970 by the arm of the Christian Conquest church. After 5 years, the school became independent and took the name The Oklahoma Christian School.

The school saw its first class graduate in 1976. The graduating class had 13 students. As years went by, the school saw enrollments increase. In 1987, it moved to the Metro Church becoming a neighbor with the church. This was the first time the entire school had a unified body from kindergarten to grade 12.

It rented its facilities from the nearby Edmond churches. However, the school purchased land in 2002 and two more buildings that had been leased by the church.

Construction of the school building started in 2007. Currently, the school has a gymnasium, band room, cafeteria, extra locker rooms, and athletic fields. All the school building construction ended in 2012.

Mount St. Mary's Academy

2801 S Shartel Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73109

Mount St. Mary is an ancient school in Oklahoma dating back to 1903. The school was created by the Sisters of Mercy in 1903 after the original school had been destroyed by fire 2 years earlier.

The school started as a girls boarding school. This was followed by day students. During the reorganization of schools by the Catholic church in the 1950s, the school started admitting boys.

Currently, this is one of the biggest Christian high schools in the state with over 12000 students. The school has a student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1.

University/College

Bacone College, Muskogee

2299 Old Bacone Road Muskogee, OK 74403

Bacone College is by far one of the oldest learning institutions in Oklahoma. The college was founded back in 1880 by the American Baptist Home Mission Society. Bacone is the oldest higher learning institution in Oklahoma and has, therefore, garnered a wealth of experience in matters of education.

The university was originally founded as an Indian University in Tahlequah by Almon C. Bacone. You probably now know the origin of the name Bacone.

Almon C. Bacone was a missionary Baptist teacher. In 1885, the college moved to 187-acre land which is its present location. The college got another boost after a donation from Baptist layman John D. Rockefeller $10,000.

The donation led them to build their first permanent building. A school of Indian art was then built by Acee Blue Eagle, a Pawnee-Creek artist. By the 1990s, the school had upgraded to a four-year status.

This is an old school for over 140 years with graduates that have taken important roles in society. Below are some notable Bacone College alumni.

• Joseph Medicine Crow, Native American writer
• Patrick Jay Hurley was an American politician and diplomat. Also an ambassador to China in 1945.
• Timothy Hill, an American professional baseball pitcher
• Alexander Lawrence Posey, an American poet, humorist, journalist, and politician in the Creek Nation
• Enoch Kelly Haney, an American politician and internationally recognized Seminole/Muscogee artist 
• Jack Cleveland Montgomery, a United States Army officer.

Without any doubt, Bacone is a historic higher learning institution in Oklahoma. The college provides holistic, liberal art, and quality educational experience.

Cameron University, Lawton

2800 W Gore Blvd, Lawton, OK 73505, USA

Cameron University is another old ancient University in Lawton Oklahoma. The university was founded in 1908, a year after Oklahoma State was officially founded. It was created as a school of Agriculture to serve farm families.

The university is named after Oklahoma’s first State Superintendent of Instruction. In 1927, the school added junior college coursework. It was then renamed Cameron State Agricultural College.

There was tremendous growth in the university over the years and an increased demand for higher education. In 1968, the university added baccalaureate programs. The institution was called Cameron University in 1978.

In 1988, it added graduate programs further expanding its programs to cater to a wide range of needs. There is even a branch campus that was opened in 2004 in Duncan.

Cameron University is now a fully-fledged University that offers a variety of courses. There are also online degrees that students can learn from across the world.

The university has produced some great graduates over the years. Below are some notable Cameron University alumni.

• Sean Hutchinson, CEO of Shareholder Value Added (SVA) Value Accelerator
• Joseph Roberts, director musical The Evil Dead on Nov. 2-3 at Goodwill Adult Day Care Center
• Laura Hidalgo, president of H3 Concepts and served in Corporate America and the Chamber of Commerce
• Brad Cooksey, president of the Lawton-Fort Sill Economic Development Corporation (LEDC)
• Jay Johnson, Oklahoma Hospital Association (OHA)

Cameron University remains one of the best in Oklahoma offering over 50 graduate and undergraduate programs for students from all backgrounds. 

Carl Albert State College, Poteau

1601 S. Buddy Spencer Ave. Sallisaw, OK 74955

Carl Albert State College (CASC) started as a local Municipal junior college in 1934. It’s another ancient university in Oklahoma with a rich history. The university boasts a rich history serving North Oklahoma as a higher learning institution.

It was initially formed to serve students from lower-income families who would not afford the costs of leaving home. The institution shut down temporarily in 1943 during the second world war. However, it reopened in the early 1950 and changed its name to Poteau Community College. 

The university used to have a single classroom of 300 capacity in the present location. But over the years, the university has grown and now has campuses in Sallisaw and Poteau. Currently, the university serves thousands of students across Oklahoma.

Carl Albert University offers a variety of degrees and certificate programs. It also has the CASC Development Foundation which offers scholarships. The scholarship program is an integral part of what makes the university great. It helps draw top students from across the world to the region.

Currently, CASC is a top higher learning institution with state-of-the-art technology, science labs, computer labs, a library, and a large multi-purpose area all housed in two buildings.

Notable Carl Albert State College Alumni

The university has produced some great names in the society. Let’s see some of the notable Carl Albert State College alumni.

• Chris Howk – M.Ed, Award-Winning Healthcare Sales Professional
• Steve Marion – P.E, Principal, Premier Civil Engineering
• Kenamo Kargbo – Information Technology Technician at ElyeSys Computer 
• Courtney Cox – Health and Safety Coordinator
• Christian Kabanda Mihigo – Completions Mechanical Design Engineer

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