History of Lexington High School

July 6, 2024

Written by Peter Kelley

 

The original school opened in September of 1953 when students carried the old Muzzey High School’s library books down Mass. Ave. and Muzzey Street through the front door of the new L.H.S.   This was an example of good old Yankee ingenuity, saving the costs of packing up the books and trucking them.

 

With enrollments steadily increasing, by 1957 an addition of classrooms along with the auditorium was added.  With Lexington’s population increasing into the 1960’s, the town, rather than build a second high school, chose to create the large campus-style school we know today.   This included three new separate buildings and a field house.  I entered the yet-unfinished L.H.S. in 1964 as a sophomore along with freshmen from both Diamond and Muzzey Junior Highs.  Clarke was not built until the early 1970’s.

 

The school has served the community well, even during the educating of the town’s largest graduating classes of over 700 students in the 1970’s.  The school has been able to adapt over the years to support new programs such as METCO, LABBB and individual ed. plans.  

 

Fast forward to the 1990’s.  All of Lexington’s buildings now needed major renewal.  I chaired a Select Board’s committee to review a study created by Archetype Consultants to evaluate all the town’s buildings.  Realizing the urgent needs to address safety and new ADA codes, as well as enrollment and program demands, a plan was presented in 1997 for a debt exclusion vote.  The plan was to make necessary improvements to the high school and the two middle schools, Diamond and Clarke.  Muzzey had closed in the early 1980’s due to shrinking enrollment.  The debt exclusion failed.  After a year of negotiating with the opposition, a scaled-back plan was presented in 1998.  This debt exclusion passed. 

 

During these years I chaired The Permanent Building Committee.  In planning for the 1998 project, it was determined the best place for the high school in the future was right where it was.  During our existing conditions evaluation of the school, we determined that the original 1953 and 1957 buildings were worthy of investment for the long-term and any future expansion would likely replace the three 1960’s buildings.  We therefore spent less money on them doing only required code upgrades.  More investment was put into the original buildings.  A new library was built, a new kitchen and eating-commons were created.  Upgrades to the auditorium and gym were done.  Seismic bracing, existing heating systems updated, insulated windows were installed, along with many alterations for program improvements.  Additional modular classrooms were added in 2007 due to increased enrollment.

 

Although consideration was given to a new school on the playing fields in the 1990’s, it was rejected outright due to very poor soil conditions and the impact on the town’s recreation complex.  It is my strong view that the conclusions made then still apply today.  Only more so.