North Branch Area Schools

In 1855, the first school in North Branch was established. It was a private school in a ramshackle building. In 1856, a public school district was established, but it did not establish a school until 1861. As of 1867, the public school was flourishing, albeit in a log building, with 76 students enrolled.^[5]

In 1869, a frame schoolhouse was built near the corner of Jefferson and Mill Streets. In 1883, students were divided into ten grades, and in 1889, a brick school was built. The high school was accredited by the University of Michigan in 1914, marking the official establishment of North Branch High School.^[5]

The high school building was torn down in 1935, leaving the students without a school. Various locations around the village served as classrooms.^[5] In fall 1936, the Education Services Building was built as the high school with construction funds from the Public Works Administration.^[6][7]

Sweet school district and its school, Sweet Elementary, consolidated with the North Branch district in 1957.^[8]

A new high school was completed in spring 1963 and opened in fall 1963.^[9] The building is currently used as Ruth Fox Middle School.^[10]

The current high school, designed by architecture firm SSOE, opened in fall 1994. The previous high school became a school for grades seven and eight, and the former junior high became a school for grades four through six.^[11]

North Branch Elementary opened in fall 2008. At that time, Sweet Elementary closed,^[12] and the former North Branch Elementary became the Educational Services Center.^[13]