About

History of Pittsboro, Indiana

The earliest recorded land entry for Middle Township was by Thomas Weaver in 1827. The Weavers did not actually live here until 1835 when they spent their first winter in a cabin that had been built by “squatters” or Native Americans. Other early land entries were made by the families of Watson and Jordan in 1829. Richard Richardson had a land entry in 1831 in the present town of Pittsboro. In 1830 Lemuel McBee is thought to be the first settler, clearing land and building a cabin on the north side of West Main, the present 202 W. Main. The town of Pittsboro was founded on December 9, 1834, by John B. Hadley and named "Pittsborough" in honor of Hadley's home in North Carolina. The spelling was later changed to "Pittsboro".   The original town had a plat of 30 lots. Most homes were of log or frame construction.

On April 6, 1906, an election was held for incorporation of the town. After incorporation came many infrastructure improvements and new services. Sidewalks were laid, street lights installed, and water service begun.

Middle Township was served by several one room school houses. Pittsboro’s original school building was built in 1913 at a cost of approximately $23,000. Construction began in the spring, the cornerstone was laid on June 21st, and the building was completed in December. Pittsboro was built as a combined high school/grade school and opened with 27 high school students, four of whom graduated in 1914. A gymnasium was added in 1919-20. In 1920, the combined enrollment was over 300, with 87 in the high school. This "over-crowding" led to plans for a separate high school building.
The high school was built in 1921, at a cost of $70,000, with cornerstone laying ceremonies held on June 25, 1921. The 1921 graduating class had eleven graduates.

A new gymnasium (the existing gym) was built in 1950, and additions to the grade school were built in 1961, 1971, 1983, and 1996.

The grade school building was abandoned for classroom use in about 1973. The last graduating class was that of 1975, and the high school building was abandoned in 1978. Both buildings were razed in 1981 to make room for an administration building, cafeteria, and additional classrooms.

This information was taken from the "Cornerstone Memories” and Pittsboro and Middle Township Way Back When, Then, and Now

Pittsboro School and Community

Pittsboro Elementary and Pittsboro Primary Schools are located in the town of Pittsboro, which is in Middle Township in the northeast quadrant of Hendricks County. Pittsboro is just 20 miles from downtown Indianapolis and has developed from a predominantly agricultural based community, which includes a blend of single-residential homes, apartments, businesses, service industries, and a large number of farms.

Pittsboro is governed by a Town Council of five members who serve four-year terms. The town also has a Clerk-Treasurer and Town Supervisor. Middle Township has a township trustee. Other local governing bodies include the town Planning Commission, Utility Board, Board of Zoning Appeals and Park Board. Other governing bodies include the Hendricks County Zoning Appeals Board, the Hendricks County Plan Commission, and Hendricks County Commissioners. A Chief of Police directs a department of full-time officers and reserve officers. The Fire Chief directs full time personnel and volunteers (Town Clerk).

Throughout Pittsboro’s history, the community has advocated on behalf of education programming and facilities. Parent organizations and civic groups contribute extensively to the local school. Boy and Girl Scouts of America troops are active in the area, as well as 4-H Clubs. The Tri-Point Optimist Club and local sororities are active. The Pittsboro Youth Organization and Tri-West Youth Organization organize youth sports for baseball, softball, soccer, football, basketball, and cheerleading.

The population of the town and township has grown significantly over the last two decades. Approximately 4,700 people currently reside in Middle Township (Century 21) and 1,600 reside in the town of Pittsboro (Pittsboro Town Clerk/Treasurer). The growth rate in the town of Pittsboro was 94% for the period from 1990 to 2001. The 2000 Census indicates that, in the central nine-county region of Indiana, Hendricks County was the second fastest growing county with a 37.5% increase in population (“Metro Area Has Grown More Suburban, Diverse,” Indianapolis Star, 3/10/2001). According to the most recent census figures, the population of Hendricks County is 96.7% Caucasian (http://quickfacts.census.gov). Also, Pittsboro is the second fastest growing town in the state (Indianapolis Star, 6/24/2004).

A wide range of housing is available in the Pittsboro area. Statistics from 2001 indicate a median home price of $125,000 and an average home price of $110,000 (Pittsboro Town Clerk/Treasurer). Projections and approved subdivisions indicate that the Pittsboro community will continue to grow and experience activity in commercial development in the township near Interstate 74.

Pittsboro’s future looks bright, thanks to its excellent business location with easy access to rail and highway transportation. As the community moves forward and new home building continues, an increase in student population is expected.

Pittsboro Campus School, Staff, and Students

The Pittsboro Campus is an urban school campus located right outside of Indianapolis off of I74. It is located at 206 N. Meridian Street and 540 Osborne Avenue in Pittsboro. The two schools are back to back and share a common buss lot and play area. Pittsboro Elementary school has been at this location for many years. It was first a K-12 building; presently it is a 3-5 building. Pittsboro Primary opened at the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year and is a K-2 building. Pittsboro Primary also houses community and developmental preschools. 

Community & School Resources

Pittsboro Primary School collaborates with the following to provide students with additional resources and career insights:

  • Town and County Government Agencies

  • Tri-West Hendricks High School Students

  • Community businesses and health professionals

  • North West Hendricks School Corporation employees

  • Pittsboro One Room School

  •  Hendricks County Community Foundation

  • School sponsored convocations

Parent Involvement

Parents at Pittsboro have many opportunities to participate in the school. Below is a list in some of the activities involving parents at Pittsboro.

Since the opening of the Primary building, both buildings share one PTA, with one governing board. There will be one president, but two vice presidents. This will ensure the needs of both buildings are met. The PTA has also started a web page with blogs, information, and email alerts to keep parents informed of all the events they plan and meetings.

  • PTA – active parent organization provides services and thousands of dollars annually.

  • Parent Volunteers

  • Committee members

  • Textbook adoption reviews

  • Room parents

  • Substitute teaching

  • Fundraising

  • Meet the Teacher Night

  • Parent/Teacher conferences

  • School programs and convocations

  • School Climate, such as decorations and bulletin boards

  • Santa Shoppe

  • Youth sports

  • Field Day

  • Fine Arts Night

Pittsboro Curriculum

Pittsboro Primary and Elementary School’s curriculum correlates with the Indiana Academic Standards. The curriculum is continually evaluated to address the academic and social needs of students. The curriculum includes language arts, mathematics, science, social studies and health as the core subjects. Music, art, physical education, computer, and library are offered on a rotational basis. Additional technology is incorporated throughout the curriculum.

Pittsboro Primary provides a variety of programs that serve to enrich the learning experience of its students.

Programs currently being provided at Pittsboro Primary include:

  • Michael Haggerty Phonemic Awareness is taught in Kindergarten and 1st Grade

  • HMH Into Reading is the adopted reading series for Kindergarten, first and second grade.

  • Intervention times are provided in every classroom for reading and math to assist students who need review in skills taught

  • McGraw-Hill Reveal Math is the adopted math curriculum.

  • Indiana Science Initiative is the adopted science curriculum.

  • Pearson is the adopted social studies curriculum.

Each staff member plays an important role in the educational process of Pittsboro students. Student progress is tracked through continuous progress monitoring, and interventions are put in place to address areas of need.  Staff members follow a tiered system of intervention to address student needs. The levels include classroom interventions, grade level interventions, and the RTI (Response to Intervention) process.   

The classes experience a unique opportunity provided by the One Room School, which is located on the school grounds. The one room school is a living museum, complete with school marms, offering an opportunity to experience a day in the classroom in 1892. Schools from surrounding communities schedule one-day visits to the One Room School to enhance their educational experiences.

LEAP Identification

LEAP is the Learner Enrichment and Academic Program for the North West Hendricks School Corporation. This program was created for the students identified as High Ability in our corporation. During the spring of 2008, students in grades K-3 were identified for the LEAP program for the first time for the 2008/2009 school year. In the past students were identified for LEAP starting in fourth grade. 2008/2009 was the first year students were identified at for LEAP in the subject area of Math. Language Arts was the only area identified up until this year.  Students are served in a Multi-Age High Ability classroom (K-1) and (2-3). 

North West Hendricks School Corporation has a LEAP Identification committee to discuss identification procedures. This committee consists of counselors, teachers, and administrators from each building in the corporation. Students placed in the LEAP pool are reviewed at the end of each school year by a selection committee. The selection committee consists of the building level principal, counselor, and the superintendent.

Assessment Instruments

ESGI is a web based testing instrument that is used with Kindergarten students to assess basic skills three times a year

IREADY is a standardized test given three times a year to all students in Kindergarten through Grade 2. It measures student performance in Math, Reading, and Language Usage. The data helps teachers to determine students needing remediation and/or enrichment exercises.

CogAT is a cognitive ability assessment given to our kindergarten and second graders. This assessment will be a piece used to determine LEAP eligibility.

We hope this gives you some insight into the history of Pittsboro Primary and what we teach on a daily basis.