The Longfellow Elementary School we know today was opened in 1988 with a capacity of 500 students at a time when the District was over 6,300 students strong. Longfellow’s name, like many other schools in the District, pays tribute to a great American writer, Henry Longfellow. His Song of Hiawatha, perhaps his most popular poem, was infused into the Longfellow Song by past teachers Kelly Gordon and Marti Walker.
Originally named West Side School, the school opened its doors in 1909 with 475 students, three secondary teachers and 11 elementary teachers. In that era, Pasco was a boom town. In 1911, another school, East Side School, was opened to handle the overflow of students. East Side School was later named Whittier. In 1922, high school students were moved to the newly constructed high school, now known as "old" McLoughlin, leaving Longfellow to serve purely elementary students.
In 1949, a fire gutted the original Longfellow Elementary School building. Thirteen classrooms and 450 students had to be distributed throughout the District. Four classes were sent to the Navy Base, some kindergarten classes went to the high school while most were sent to Captain Gray Elementary and Whittier Elementary, both of which had to go to a double shifting system to handle the overload until the second Longfellow was completed in 1951.
Today, Longfellow offers a variety of activities for students including after school tutoring in reading and math. Student success is celebrated monthly through the citizenship program allowing teachers to spotlight students showing outstanding efforts in academics as well as those who show respect and make good decisions. Also the school’s very successful Action Team for Partnerships (ATP) committee has been nationally recognized by the National Network for Partnership Schools (NNPS) and John Hopkins University for providing meaningful family and community member involvement.
