History

History


In 1881, farmers Frank and Warren Allison named their property on Sentinel Peak (now commonly known as “A” Mountain) Flowing Wells because of the abundant water on and around the farm. Soon after, the Rillito School District was formed in the area of the Allisons’Rillito School Flowing Wells farm, and a one-room schoolhouse was built. Records suggest that Laguna School opened in 1895 and was the original school in the district—possibly even its own independent district—before joining the Rillito School District. Then, by a recording error, the Rillito School District was omitted from the Arizona School Directory and the name Flowing Wells School District was entered in 1928. The District has remained the Flowing Wells Unified School District ever since. Flowing Wells High School opened in 1953 and Homer Davis Elementary School opened in 1955. Walter Douglas Elementary School was built in 1963, followed by Flowing Wells Junior High in 1976. Laguna Elementary School was symbolic of the school district as a rural, agricultural-based community from 1895 through 1980. The cotton fields, small airport and oval dirt track then gave way to a suburban community with rapid growth as Tucson prospered and the population grew. The District quickly built three elementary schools—Richardson (1980), Centennial (1990) and J. Robert Hendricks (1996)—to meet the needs of the working class community that emerged from the original rural agricultural roots. The community continues to evolve, becoming more urban and consisting of a diverse student population from established neighborhoods in the District and from state open enrollment policies. Today, the District enjoys strong community support and partnership in preparing students to thrive.

Collage of all the schools in the Flowing Wells District.