Richland Valley School Collection

The Richland Valley School was located at the intersection of today’s US Highway 283 and Quaker Road. This school was built in 1920 and remodeled in 1947. This district was known at one time as District 52. Later it was known as District 82. In 1937, Richland Valley School District 82 was rated as a Class A by the state department of education. It appears that this rating was based on the quality of the education that the school was providing for its students. At this time, students were instructed from grade 1 through grade 8. Most kids went on to high school, and most of those went to Dodge City High School. A public court hearing was held in December 1946 to allow about 9 separate districts to combine and form a new district, designated as District 83. This consolidation became formal in 1947. Several bond issues were proposed for the purpose of building a new school in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. Elections were held, and the bond issues failed to pass. On November 5, 1955, another bond election was held and this time the proposal passed. A site 2 miles south of the existing school was chosen as the location for the newly constructed school, at the intersection of today’s US Highway 283 and Saddle Road. The new building was designed by Gurtner and Robison, Architects. The design specified that 3 classrooms plus an auditorium would be built. Noland Construction was the lead contractor. Students and staff moved into the new school building in December 1956. A formal dedication ceremony was held on January 22, 1957. The Richland Valley school district was unified with the Dodge City school district, forming USD 443. This action had been mandated by the state legislature in late 1962, and took effect in 1963. The building and grounds were used as an elementary school for many more years. Sources indicate that in 1986 the enrollment roster was 70 students. In 1990 a source noted that enrollment had fallen when compared to the previous year. As late as the 1992-1993 school year, the school was still in use, and Laura Blevins served as the principal.

Note: The state government mandated school district unification in 1963. Prior to this, there were over 3,000 school districts in the state. Some districts were designated by name, some by number, and some by both. This practice resulted in multiple school districts sharing the same name or number.