Westby Schools

In 1880, our first school was established when Miss. Emile Westby opened a private school in a room above her father’s, general store. A year later another private school was opened by Miss. Matilda Gilbertson.

Second grade school replacing
a smaller building at the same location

In 1883 the Westby School district was formed and bought a school site on South Main Street and built a two-story frame building at the location of where the creamery is located today. In the fall of 1893, because of further increase in attendance, the upper grades were moved into the Temperance Hall across the street.  A year later a two-story frame four room building was built on the old site.

Built to hold high school upstairs
and lower grades on first floor

A new building location was acquired in 1908 and the new school was opened in 1910. Though this building no longer exists, the building site is the same one that is used today for our school buildings. Many thought the proposed building would be too large and that it would not be fully occupied for a long time, but in less than three years some of the lower grades had to be moved to the old building on Main Street and again used the Temperance Hall to help with the overflow.

Public high school

The class of 1910 was the last to graduate from the old graded school house, and the first to graduate from the new four year high school in 1914. Mr. A.P. Euler served as principal from 1922 to 1927 and during this time completion of the new high school was completed eliminating the need for students to use the old grade school on Main Street by moving all of those students into the former rooms vacated by the high school students.

The Citizens of Westby voted in 1938 to fill in the area between the High School and Grade School with a gymnasium. The former gym being located in the basement of the grade school.

A sight remembered by many. Today the area taken up by these three buildings
is a parking lot surrounded on three side by the current school buildings.

The last of these three building was razed a few years ago and in their places are numerous buildings and additions. The Earl C. Knutson Auditorium in 1960 followed by the High School in the fall of 1965. A primary building was built to the south of former school buildings a few years ago and the last building to be built was the Middle School including a fieldhouse.