History

Origin Story

The roots of the Pattonville R3 School District can be traced back to the 1800s when the first public school was established in what is now Bridgeton. The Pattonville School District officially came into being in 1930 when an April election changed the Fee Fee District No. 16 from a “rural” to a “town” school status. That year, the new district board dubbed the organization the “School District of Pattonville, St. Louis County.” The district’s name originates in 1876, when the government granted the Fee Fee community a post office and placed it in the Patton General Store (near the corner of Fee Fee and St. Charles Rock Road). John R. A. Patton was named the new postmaster. At the time, the name of the community was changed to Pattonville. In the 1950s, many public school districts in Missouri were reorganized a number of times, and Pattonville became known as the R-3 District. In 1958, Pattonville’s name was changed from Pattonville Consolidated School District R-3 to its current official name, the Pattonville R-3 School District, St. Louis County. Today, the Pattonville School District is a nationally recognized school district serving a richly diverse population of students in preschool through 12^th grade.

A Pattonville bus from the 1950s when the district was known as the Pattonville Consolidated School District R-3.

History of Pattonville schools

PATTONVILLE EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER

Pattonville Early Childhood Center (Opened in August 2018) – The center opened for classes in the 2018-2019 school year at the site of the former Briar Crest Elementary School, 2900 Adie Road in St. Ann. The center houses all of Pattonville’s early childhood programs: a preschool program for students ages 3 through 5, including those requiring special education services, and the Parents as Teachers (PAT) program, a free, voluntary program designed to help parents be the first and most important teacher to their children. The center opened with 14 preschool classrooms designed for the specific needs of preschool children, with the capacity to add four more classrooms in the future as needed. Other rooms are used for PAT programming. Features include a “living room” for staff to host “home visits” when requested by families; conference areas; a diagnostic office for early childhood special education evaluations; a motor room for children working with an occupational or physical therapist on specific learning goals; and an action room, where children engage in activities that provide fun, physical activity. A new “PICL” (play, imagine, connect and learn) room is a multipurpose space that can be used for developmental screenings, group connections and PICL groups - play-based parent education group meetings that focus on developmental topics such as toileting, transitions, discipline and nutrition. Previously, Pattonville’s early childhood program was located in classrooms at the district’s elementary schools and the Pattonville Learning Center. As the program grew, more classroom space was needed than what was available at these sites. A no-tax-rate-increase bond issue approved by voters in 2017 enabled the renovations of the former Briar Crest Elementary School to better meet the needs of preschool-aged children and related programming. The Pattonville Early Childhood program was officially created in August 2002 and housed in schools throughout Pattonville and at the Pattonville Learning Center. Prior to that, early childhood was organized by SSD (Special School District) and featured only a few classrooms around Pattonville.

DRUMMOND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Robert Drummond Elementary School (Opened in August 2002) – Drummond Elementary School was built with funds from Lambert St. Louis International Airport as a replacement school for Carrollton and Carrollton Oaks elementary schools. Both of these Bridgeton schools were torn down as part of a runway expansion at Lambert. Jim Schwab, who was principal of Carrollton Oaks when it closed, was named as the first principal of Drummond. The school was named after Robert Drummond, who served on the Pattonville Board of Education for 30 years (1972 to 2002), one of the longest tenures in Missouri for a school board member. After his retirement from the board, Drummond continued to volunteer at his namesake school as an Oasis reading tutor for students. Mr. Drummond died on Dec. 8, 2017 at the age of 91 after many years of service in both Pattonville and the St. Louis community. The school is located at 3721 St. Bridget Lane in St. Ann, the same address as the former St. Ann Elementary School.

ROSE ACRES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Rose Acres Elementary School (Opened in 1967) – Rose Acres was built to provide a school for new home construction in the area, as well as to relieve crowding at Penn-Junction, Parkwood and Bridgeway elementary schools. The 28-room school was erected on 11 acres between Rose Acres Lane and the Chatham Village subdivision (2905 Rose Acres Lane in Maryland Heights). Wayne Cashion was its first principal. It was built on Rose Acres Lane, the only entrance into the school at the time. The school was dedicated on Jan. 15, 1968.

REMINGTON TRADITIONAL SCHOOL

Remington Traditional School (Opened in 1955) – Located at 102 Fee Fee Road in Maryland Heights, Remington Traditional School was first called Remington Elementary School. It began as an elementary school built by the Maryland Heights School District and remained an elementary school after the Maryland Heights School District merged with Pattonville in 1962. Carroll E. Naves was its first principal. The school was named after Mabel Brewster Remington, who began her long teaching career at Penn School in 1894. She taught in the Maryland Heights School District for 19 years. She retired in 1950 and passed away in 1952. In 1982, the school became Remington Traditional School, a K-8 school of choice, with David Latimer as the principal.

PATTONVILLE HEIGHTS MIDDLE SCHOOL

Pattonville Heights Middle School (Opened in 1966) – Located at 195 Fee Fee Road in Maryland Heights, the school opened with 55 classrooms in October as a seventh and eighth grade facility. Ken Buhlig was its first principal, and the school was called Pattonville Heights School. The school was dedicated on Nov. 9, 1967. The school’s name came from combining Pattonville and Maryland Heights. In January 1967, Heights became the first school or college in Missouri to have a planetarium/observatory facility located in one of its buildings. The school became a junior high when the high school opened in 1971. George Cavanaugh was the principal. The school became Pattonville Heights Middle School in 1982 with Dr. Bernard Epstein as the principal.

POSITIVE SCHOOL

POSITIVE School (Opened in 1981) – This alternative school was established for secondary students to better meet the needs of students who were not succeeding in the regular high school program. POSITIVE stands for “Pattonville Occupational School Including Technical Individualized Vocational Education.” The purpose of the program is to prevent students from dropping out of school. The first principal of POS was George Ruh, an assistant principal at Pattonville High School. The program began in the 1981-1982 school year with 124 students and nine staff members. In 1982, the program moved from the high school to the former Penn-Junction School building. It is currently housed in a wing at Pattonville High School.

SCHOOLS NO LONGER OPERATING

Mount Pleasant Elementary School (Opened in 1836) - Established in 1836 as the Mount Pleasant Schoolhouse, it later opened in 1889 as Mount Pleasant Elementary School. In 1836, Absolom Link established the school in an area east of the Fee Fee community (near modern Midland and Lindbergh). A new brick building was erected in 1884 at 11050 N. Warson Road (near Lindbergh). The school was one of three schools that closed in 1978 due to declining enrollment as a result of a declining birth rate in the area. The school was sold to Christian Academy of Greater St. Louis in 1981.
Pattonville Grade School (Opened in 1907) – This two-room brick school building replaced Fee Fee School. Pattonville Grade School was located on the west side of Fee Fee Road (directly south of I-70). Its address was 4020 Fee Fee Road, which later became the Vantage Credit Union. The Pattonville Grade School became too small, and sometime between 1925 and 1927, renovations took place. Renovations centered on the old school’s two-room brick structure and included four classrooms, an auditorium and basement playrooms. Even with the renovations, one auditorium had to be used for two classrooms, and more were soon necessary.
Penn-Junction Elementary School (Established in 1936) - The school was located on Branneky Lane at McKelvey Road (later to be called Penn Junction Road). In 1936, Junction School (now the site of SSM DePaul Hospital) and Penn School merged. The original Penn building was torn down. Penn-Junction closed as an elementary school in the 1982-1983 school year. It reopened as the POSITIVE School. The board approved its sale to Grace World Outreach in May 1985.
Bridgeton Elementary School (Opened in 1953) – Original construction was a two-story rectangular unit with eight classrooms. In 1956, two rooms were added, along with an office and storage room. The school was on 3 acres of land at 11623 Natural Bridge Road in Bridgeton. It was one of three schools that closed in 1978 due to declining enrollment as a result of a declining birth rate in the area. The board approved its sale to the First Korean Presbyterian Church of St. Louis in May 1985.
Pattonville Elementary School (Opened in 1954) – The school was one of three schools that closed in 1978 due to declining enrollment as a result of a declining birth rate in the area. The board sold the school to Raymond Oetting in June 1981.
St. Ann Elementary (Date established, unknown, although records indicated it existed as early as 1956) – The school was located at 3721 St. Bridget Lane in St. Ann. The board voted to close the school, effective the 1982-1983 school year. In September 1982, only one bid was received for the sale of the school – from Hope Lutheran Church.
Carrollton Elementary School (Opened in 1960) – Located at 3936 Celburne in Bridgeton, the school had kindergarten through fourth grades the first year it opened. S.E. Teter, who was principal of Pattonville Elementary, assumed additional duties as principal of Carrollton during its first year in operation. Fifth grade was added the following year when Bill Pohlman became principal. Carrollton was one of two Pattonville schools closed in 2001 due to the expansion of Lambert St. Louis International Airport. The building was torn down after closure to make way for the new runway. Former Carrollton students went to Drummond Elementary School, which was built with airport funds as a replacement school for Carrollton and Carrollton Oaks elementary schools.
Briar Crest Elementary School (Opened in 1965) – Mrs. Forest Kaiser of 10925 Killdare Court suggested the name Briar Crest in a school-naming contest. According to Nelson Smith, the area had a street designated (but never built) behind the school property that was to be called Briar Crest. The school was dedicated on Dec. 6, 1965. The school was built with funds from a Jan. 26, 1965, bond issue. The original facility had 17 classrooms. The school closed in 2013 due to budget cuts and was leased to a private school and the YWCA for private educational purposes. Nelson Smith was the first principal of Briar Crest, which is located at 2900 Adie Road in St. Ann. In August 2018, the school was reopened as the Pattonville Early Childhood Center with Dr. Mary Krekeler as its first director of early childhood.
Carrollton Oaks Elementary School (Opened in 1967) – Carrollton Oaks was built to relieve overcrowding at Carrollton, Bridgeton, Remington, Bridgeway and Pattonville elementary schools. The school contained 18 classrooms and was located at 4385 Holmford in Bridgeton on 6.5 acres adjacent to the Carrollton Oaks subdivision. The school was dedicated on Jan. 8, 1968. James Edwards was the first principal of the school. Carrollton Oaks was one of two Pattonville schools closed in 2001 due to the expansion of Lambert St. Louis International Airport. The building was torn down after closure to make way for the new runway, which ends near the school’s previous location. Former Carrollton Oaks students went to Drummond Elementary School, which was built with airport funds as a replacement school for Carrollton and Carrollton Oaks elementary schools. Jim Schwab, who was principal at the time the school closed, became the new principal of Drummond Elementary School.

BRIDGEWAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

PARKWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

WILLOW BROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

HOLMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL

Holman Middle School (Opened in 1956) – The school opened in 1956 as Holman Junior High School. Holman’s first principal was Buford Lauer. In an afternoon ceremony on Aug. 28, 1960, “Holman Junior High School” was dedicated in honor of Pattonville superintendent, M. A. Holman and his first wife, the late Mary Alice Holman, who taught at the school until her death in 1959. (The school board decided to change the name from Pattonville Junior High School before the building was completed.) The school became Holman Middle School in 1982 with Walter Pfeiffer as the principal. The school is located at 11055 St. Charles Rock Road in St. Ann.

PATTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

Pattonville High School (Established at its original site in 1936, opened at its location on Creve Coeur Mill Road in 1971) - Pattonville’s first high school was built on an eight-acre plot of land located at Banks Road and St. Charles Rock Road with funds from an April 1934 bond issue and the federal government. Prior to Pattonville High School being built, Pattonville students had to attend high school classes at nearby schools such as Ritenour, Normandy and University City. On March 17, 1936, eighth-graders, freshmen, sophomores and juniors (approximately 76 pupils) moved into the new school. The first high school commencement exercises, held on June 18, 1937, were for two students, Marguerite Nunley and Irma Meuth. Pattonville High School’s second graduating class (Class of 1938) consisted of John Abraham, Ruth Mensendiek, Earl Payton, James Peachee and Anton Weber. Abraham was the first male to graduate. In 1946, Pattonville High School became fully accredited by the North Central Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges. The school’s original address in 1936 was 11055 St. Charles Rock Road, the same as the current Holman Middle School. The current school was opened in 1971 at 2497 Creve Coeur Mill Road in Maryland Heights. The school was formally dedicated on Jan. 7, 1973.

PATTONVILLE LEARNING CENTER

Pattonville Learning Center (Opened in 1995) – The original concept for the Learning Center was developed in the 1988-1989 strategic planning process. The building was designed to provide a single, intergenerational facility to provide the foundation for the district’s mission “That All Will Learn.” The building was designed to serve senior citizens, early childhood programs, community services and district-wide board and administrative offices. The 39,473-square foot facility was built with funds from a 1992 bond issue. The building became the new district administrative office, replacing the old administrative building at 115 Harding Avenue in Maryland Heights (former Maryland Heights High School). In addition to administrative offices and the school board meeting room, the building also houses multiple meeting rooms used for Pattonville’s community education, classes for older adults, meetings for older adult tutors in Pattonville’s Oasis tutoring program, workshops and training for district staff, as well as classrooms for alternative education. The building housed the Learning Center Preschool and early childhood program from 1995 until 2018 when the new Pattonville Early Childhood Center opened in the former Briar Crest Elementary School Building. The Learning Center is located at 11097 St. Charles Rock Road and sits on the former football field of the original Pattonville High School. The concrete foundation of bleachers from the original Chedester Field (named after James Chedester, high school principal from 1949 to 1962) can be seen on the back of the building.

ANCESTORS OF PATTONVILLE SCHOOLS

Moravian School (Established in 1806) - Lewis Rogers established this public school to educate both white settlers and Indians. The school became known as the Moravian School, named after a Moravian minister who was passing through the area who learned of the need for an instructor and offered his services as their teacher. Lewis Rogers’ institution was the earliest direct ancestor of the Pattonville School District. This school later became known as the Bridgeton Academy.
Bridgeton Academy (Established in 1806) – The Bridgeton Academy was the town school for Bridgeton, starting in 1806. It was previously known as the Moravian School. On Feb. 12, 1864, the General Assembly approved “An Act to Incorporate Bridgeton Academy,” and the school became known as Bridgeton Academy. As of 1968, the school was still standing and was used as a home near Bridgeton Tavern on Natural Bridge Road. In the 1930s it was known as Bridgeton Town School.
Shumate Academy (Established in 1835) – The Shumate Academy is considered a direct ancestor of the Pattonville School District. Walker D. Shumate started his own private boarding school for boys in 1835. The one-room Shumate Academy (may also be known as “Oakley Seminary'') was located on the road to St. Charles (the now rerouted St. Charles Road, east of the “wedge” intersection of Owen’s Station Road, now Natural Bridge). The school served the entire township, an area bordered by the Missouri River east to Ashby Road, and from Anglum (Robertson) south to Olive Street. The charge for board, washing, lodging and tuition in the English Department, per 10-month session, was $100. Courses taught were Algebra, Arithmetic, Composition, English Grammar, Geography, Geometry, History, Latin and Greek languages, Orthography, Penmanship, Reading, Surveying and Navigation. The building stood until 1994, when it was disassembled and put into storage. By 1845, the academy was bursting at the seams with 60 to 75 pupils. To meet the challenge, the trustees decided to divide the area into three new districts: the western area, around Spurrville (modern Westport Plaza), became Creve Coeur and was run by Henry Leonidas Dorsett; the eastern area, south of modern Old St. Charles Road, became Mount Pleasant and was run by Campbell Link; and the northern area, the Bridgeton/Anglum (or Robertson) area, became simply District No. 1 and continued under Walker Shumate’s administration.
Fee Fee School (Established in 1850) - An acre of land located on Fee Fee Road was donated by Mrs. Sarah Long to be used for the site of a schoolhouse. A new one-room brick structure was built. The new school measured about 16 by 20 feet and was named Fee Fee School. In 1880, the one-room brick structure, which had served as the original Fee Fee School for 30 years, was torn down to make way for a frame building. This new building had a large classroom, two anterooms and a stone basement. This new Fee Fee School, paid for with a $4,000 bond, was commonly known as “Mrs. Ford’s Bonnet” because of the large cupola on the front of the building. Behind the building, there was even a stable for the teacher’s horse. Fee Fee School was replaced in 1907 with a two-room brick building known as Pattonville Grade School.
Penn School (Established around 1850) - At about the same time the Fee Fee School opened, a white-framed, Penn School was erected on modern day Creve Coeur Mill Road on Fee Fee Creek. A new brick building opened in 1924. In 1936, Penn School and Junction School merged. The Penn building was torn down. The Penn-Junction School was annexed into the Pattonville School District in May 1950.
New school in Creve Coeur (Established in the 1850s) - History unknown.
Junction School (Opened in 1869) - The Junction School was a white-frame building located at the St. Charles Rock Road and Natural Bridge intersection. This one-room public school could seat 30 pupils and was said to be across from the original Shumate Academy site. In 1936, Penn School and Junction School merged. The Penn building was torn down. The Penn-Junction School was annexed into the Pattonville School District in May 1950.
Maryland Heights School (Opened in 1924) – The school was designed by Joseph Senne and built by Daly at a cost of $20,000. It was dedicated in September 1924 for use that school year. The building, located at 115 Harding in Maryland Heights, consisted of six rooms with four teachers and an enrollment of 140 students. This building eventually became the Maryland Heights High School, part of the Maryland Heights School District, which was annexed into the Pattonville School District in 1962 and became the Pattonville Administration Building. The old Maryland Heights building and gymnasium received extensive damage in a tornado in 1967. In 1995, the building was vacated when school personnel moved into the newly built Pattonville Learning Center on St. Charles Rock Road in St. Ann. The building remained vacant due to its deterioration and was used for storage until it was demolished in 1998. A remembrance ceremony was held for the old high school on July 9, 1998, prior to its demolition. The gymnasium facility, built in 1951 for $40,000, still stands and is used as the printing facility for the Pattonville School District.
Carver Elementary School for Negroes (Opening year unknown) – Carver was part of the Maryland Heights School District when it merged with Pattonville in 1962. Formerly located at the end of Adie Road, it was replaced in 1951 with a new $15,000, two-room building on Harding Avenue near the Maryland Heights High School. After the merger, Carver was discontinued.

Discover More History

Evolution of the Pattonville School District

Pattonville by the Years

Superintendents of the Pattonville School District

History of Enrollment

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