Hawken School - History

History

The school's founder and namesake, James A. Hawken, opened his school for boys in Cleveland's Hough neighborhood in 1915. First housed at 1572 Ansel Road, the school later moved to 1588 Ansel Road, shortly before relocating to its current Lyndhurst campus in 1922. Because James Hawken believed in one-on-one education for the boys at his school, the original building on the Lyndhurst campus, now containing part of the middle school, has many rooms designed to seat between eight and ten boys. Later, in 1961, the school added a 325-acre high school campus in Gates Mills, housing formerly grades 10 through 12, and now also grade 9. The school became coed in 1975. In the fall of 2006, Lincoln Hall was added on to the Middle School, adding much-needed classroom space. In the fall of 2009, Hawken commenced a tablet computer program for grade 6 which later spread throughout the middle and high schools. The Sally & Bob Gries Center for Experiential and Service Learning, located in University Circle, opened on August 29, 2010. In the summer of 2011, the preschool underwent a renovation.

Hawken School is an independent, college preparatory day school serving approximately 950 students in preschool through grade 12. Hawken has long-standing rivalries with the three other founding members of the Cleveland Council of Independent Schools: Laurel School, Hathaway Brown School, and University School.