Mid Valley School District - History of The District

History of The District

Prior to 1969 each town within the district had operated its own schools. Due to dwindling populations due to the decline of anthracite mining in the region the towns combined to form the Mid Valley School District and combine the student population of for the 1969-1970 school year. The name picked for the district "Mid Valley" comes from the fact that the three towns are considered to be in the middle of the Lackawanna Valley and the area of the three towns (along with Blakely, Jessup, sometimes Archbald) are often referred to as the Mid Valley Region.

For the 1969-70 school year and throughout most of the 1970s, the district population utilized several school buildings scattered across the three boroughs. Problems ranging from lack of heat in the winter months, structural problems and a fire that severely damaged the structure of one of the Dickson City buildings plagued the new district throughout much of the first decade.

While plans for a new high school for grades 7-12 were underway on Underwood Road in Throop, existing buildings in the district had to be closed, even with trailers brought in to serve as additional classroom space, the district had to eventually result in forced half-day sessions in the late 1970s and until the opening of the new Mid Valley Secondary Center in the fall of 1981.