History
Moorhead School District origins trace back to a subscription school founded in 1872. After a short life-span of two months, the school closed. Later that year, a permanent five-month school was started and housed in the Presbyterian Church.
On April 15, 1873, the first school board organized a school district. James H. Sharp was a member of the first school board and served on the Board of Education until 1905. He is remembered as the father of Moorhead Area Public Schools.
On Sept. 15, 1879, Moorhead Independent School District No. 2 was organized. The first graduate of Moorhead High School was Mathias Forsberg in 1883.
In 1880 Sharp School was built on the present site of Townsite Centre on Eighth Street. In 1894 the school was completely rebuilt. It served Moorhead students until 1921 when it was torn down and Moorhead High School, now Townsite Centre, was built. The school served students until the current high school was built in 1967.
In 1955, District No. 2 merged with other districts in the area to form Independent School District 152.
District History Digital Archives
The digital archives website for Moorhead Area Public Schools features more than 100 years of Spud history, including high school yearbooks, school newspapers, team photos, programs from music and sporting events, and game film dating back to the 1950s. A joint project between Moorhead Area Public Schools and the Moorhead Legacy Education Foundation, the website contains more than 25,000 images and will be expanded over time.
District History Wall
With a history spanning more than 140 years, the story of Moorhead Area Public Schools is detailed on a 50-foot-long historical timeline in the lobby of Horizon Middle School’s Performing Arts Center.
The history wall project was a joint venture between Moorhead Area Public Schools and the Moorhead Schools Legacy Foundation with funding provided by Hornbacher’s and Matthew and Janelle Leiseth.