In the Fall of 1966, Mitchell Road Elementary opened its doors for the first time. It was a school for grades one to six and consisted of only the wing that now houses the fourth grade. That fall, the staff consisted of a principal, 10 teachers, a part-time librarian, a part-time secretary and a janitor. Believe it or not, the principal’s “office” was just a table in the hallway and there was no front office! The library was a closet that was originally intended to house janitorial supplies. There were very few books, as you can imagine, so the bookmobile came by the school weekly to give students another source of reading materials. All students had to bring their lunches that first year because there was no cafeteria. The principal sold milk from a cooler in the hallway near her desk. Students had to take their trash and leftovers home with them because there was no garbage pick-up.
By the next year, the school had grown to include an office, a cafeteria, and another wing that housed eight additional classrooms. The final wing, an enlarged library, and office area with a health room were added in 1972. The PTA worked very hard to raise the money for the air conditioning of the school in the 1980’s. Up until then, open windows, fans, and shade trees had provided the only relief from the hottest school days.
Mitchell Road Elementary continued to grow with an enrollment of up to 850 students. Portables were added to the playground area while renovations to expand were underway. In the middle of the 2001-2002 school year, all students and staff moved into the newly renovated building. The newly renovated building is what stands today.