An aerial photo of Maricopa High School in 1959 [photo courtesy of Maricopa Historical Society]

This aerial photo from 1958 shows the original Maricopa High School with its gymnasium, right, and two wings of classrooms. The school had only 28 freshmen when it opened in September 1955 in a rented building on the elementary school grounds. Previously, all students were bused to Casa Grande to attend high school classes, but parents then demanded a school in town. When Maricopa High School opened to freshmen, older students continued to take the bus to Casa Grande until 1958, when the decision was made to end busing. Some seniors decided to use their own transportation to finish up in Casa Grande. In 1959, the first graduating class was 10 students. The campus has grown remarkably to meet rising attendance numbers over the decades.

An aerial photo of the current Maricopa High School [Ian Roberds]
An aerial photo of the current Maricopa High School [Ian Roberds]
This story was first published in the November edition of InMaricopa magazine.