North Sanpete School District Formed and Consolidation of Schools in North Sanpete ~ Researched by Mary Louise Madsen Seamons ~ Photos inserted by Kathy Hafen

                       $20,00 for the building and site in Moroni were approved.

The red-brick North Sanpete High School building, constructed on a piece of land known as "the City Square" which had been purchased from the city at a cost of $2,250.00 was partially completed in 1912.  Some of the upper - floor classrooms were left unfinished because of difficulty with finances.  The foundation was constructed of concrete, a deviation from the usual stone base. 

The completed building consisted of classrooms on three floors, a central auditorium and a gymnasium.  A "mechanical arts" building of white stone was constructed just north of the original high school prior to 1939.  Here the girls were instructed in "domestic science" and the boys were instructed in "industrial arts". Occasionally, over the years, the classes were reversed and the boys took "home economics" and the girls tried their hands at "shop".

The number of students attending schools in Mt. Pleasant during the years 1910 to 1916 varied from a low of 750 in 1915-16 to a high of 803 in 1912-1913.  Although these figures do not give specific numbers attending each grade, it is likely they were more concentrated in grades one through eight as Mt. Pleasant is primarily an agricultural town and students were needed at home during the spring, summer, and fall months to help with farming and livestock chores. 

At the annual school meeting held on Monday, July 12, 1916, the local school board for Mt. Pleasant was officially dissolved "as the County of Sanpete had been by law consolidated into two school districts of the first class".  And a board of five trustees had been appointed.  The first school board consisted of C.N. Lund, of Mt. Pleasant, Jabez Faux Jr. of Moroni, Henry Jackson, of Fountain Green, John S. Blain of Spring City and Elam Anderson of Fairview.  The outgoing board turned over indebtedness of $39,884. 51 to the new members, along with assets consisting of real estate (five and a half lots) valued at $5,000.00, district school buildings valued at $25,000.00, the high school building valued at $40,000.00, furniture and fixtures valued at $4,000.00 and apparatus valued at $650.00. Total assets $74, 650.00. The books were closed.  North and South Sanpete School Districts had officially been organized. (the above information are taken from N.S. School Board minutes.)

As had been true of the early inhabitants of Mt. Pleasant, education of children remained a high priority.  New buildings were provided, existing facilities were upgraded, and citizens and educators kept abreast of new innovations and vital issues in and out of the community.

Students continued to attend both Hamilton Elementary (grades one through six) and North Sanpete High School (grades seven through twelve).  Statistics from 1966 through 1989 show continued growth in the district, with the exception of a slight decline between 1969 and 1972, and the total number of students nearly doubled.  There was a similar slump in the overall enrollment of the State of Utah, though not quite so pronounced.  The total enrollment of the state over the same period also increased almost as dramatically.  Consistently more students attended the elementary school in Mt. Pleasant than in any of the other four elementary schools in the district, but Mt. Pleasant was also the largest of the towns.

Beginning with the tenth grade, students from Spring City attended North Sanpete High School.  Students from Indianola, Milburn, and Fairview joined them in grade eleven.   Other high school students in the district attended Moroni High until the two high schools were consolidated in 1958.  No statistics are available for the number of high school students who were from Mt. Pleasant.

Consolidation of Schools

Early in 1958 the issue of consolidating the high schools in the district was raised.  A study was authorized which resulted in the recommendation to convert the school at Mt. Pleasant into the district high school and the school at Moroni int the junior high school.  Elementary schools were to remain as they were, with the exception of Wales which would be consolidated with the school in Moroni.  That fall the change was implemented.  The transition was made quite smoothly, and no real concerns were broached.  In March of 1980 the Board approved moving the ninth grade to the high school.