Our History
From the beginning, settlers in Southwest Florida recognized a need for education. Young men and women motivated to educate the community's children took on the role of teaching children in town halls and churches. As the community grew, so did our history. The following table oultines the district's growth over the last 120 years.| 1888 | Classes outgrow the community hall and the first building is designated as a school at the corner of Marion & Harvey Streets in Punta Gorda. |
| 1893 | The first school for African Americans is formed. After an organized search, Benjamin Joshua Baker agrees to be its principal and relocates from New Orleans. Mr. Baker retired in 1940 after 49 years of teaching and died in 1942 while a new school for the African American Community (Baker Center) was constructed. The school remained segregated until 1964 when Charlotte County Schools were integrated. |
| 1896 | A larger school is built on Goldstein Street. The school was filled to capacity with an enrollment of 91 males and 87 females. |
| 1907 | Punta Gorda Grammar & High School opens with an enrollment of 150 students. Overcrowding forced construction of a new school on Taylor Street in 1911. |
| 1921 | Charlotte County's modern era begins when DeSoto County is divided into 5 parts. The first bridge across Charlotte Harbor is constructed and schools begin bussing students from rural communities to the Junior High in Port Charlotte and combined schools in Punta Gorda. Six busses operated on a budget of $30.00 per semester, per student. |
| 1926 | Bussing increased Punta Gorda enrollment to 1,000 and forced construction of Charlotte High School. Charlotte County teacher salaries were reported as the highest in the State of Florida at $615.00 for teachers in a two room school to $933.00 in schools with 10 or more rooms.
As the Great Depression made its way into Charlotte County, the school year was reduced to 7 months and teachers often received promissory notes for items like food and clothing from local merchants rather than a paycheck. |
| 1937 | Sallie Jones, one of the original 21 teachers assigned to Charlotte High School, is appointed the first female superintendent of schools in the State of Florida. Ms. Jones served 16 years as superintendent. She created the first school lunchrooms and set the standard that all teachers had to be professionally certified. Ms. Jones retired in 1953 after 31 years as an educator. |
| 1950 | Two large residential developers (General Development Corporation and Punta Gorda Isles Development Corporation) spur Southwest Florida growth and force the expansion of the district. New schools are built in rapid succession as can be seen below. |
| 1960 | Adult & Community Education |
| 1961 | Peace River Elementary School |
| 1962 | Charlotte High School, K-9 |
| 1962 | Lemon Bay High School |
| 1964 | East Elementary School |
| 1970 | Neil Armstrong Elementary |
| 1971 | Port Charlotte Middle School |
| 1971 | Punta Gorda Middle School |
| 1975 | Meadow Park Elementary |
| 1980 | Charlotte Harbor Center |
| 1980 | Charlotte Vocational Center |
| 1982 | Charlotte High School, 10 & 12 Grades |
| 1982 | Port Charlotte High School |
| 1984 | L.A. Ainger Middle School |
| 1986 | Liberty Elementary School |
| 1986 | Vineland Elementary School |
| 1989 | Murdock Middle School |
| 1990 | Deep Creek Elementary School |
| 1990 | Myakka River Elementary |
| 1998 | Kingsway Elementary School |
| 1999 | The Academy |
| 2003 | Sallie Jones Elementary School |
| 2004 | Hurricane Charley destroys six CCPS schools on August 13, including Baker Center, Peace River Elementary, Neil Armstrong Elementary, East Elementary, Punta Gorda Middle, and Charlotte High |
| 2007 | New Rebuilt Baker Center Opens in August |
| 2007 | New Rebuilt Neil Armstrong Elementary Opens in October |
| 2008 | New Rebuilt Peace River Elementary Opens in January |
| 2008 | Newly Rebuilt East Elementary Opens in November |
| 2008 | Newly Rebuilt Punta Gorda Middle Schools Opens in August |
| 2009 | Newly Rebuilt Charlotte High School (3-story building) Opens in April |
| 2009 | Charlotte High School Buildings B and C, and the Auxilliary Gym Opens in August |