The land occupied by West Springfield High School was originally set out in 1720 as part of the west tier of the “10-acre lot” grants. As was true with almost all of West Springfield’s land prior to the middle of the 20th century, most of the high school lot had previously been in use as farmland.
The brook along the front of the property and the wetlands along its northern edge, near the tennis courts, contrast sharply with the fact that the lot was a sand and gravel pit during the early 1900s. While it didn’t seem to be ideal for use as a school, in the early 1950s, when the high school on Park Street was becoming overcrowded, this was this very property that was chosen to be the location for a new high school. The wetness factor was counterbalanced by several positive attributes; the site was centrally located in the town, there was plenty of space for athletic fields and there was even space for a new innovation --- a student parking lot.
Ground was broken in 1954 and the new school opened in 1956 with pupils in grades 9 through 12. The inclusion of grade 9 students provided additional room in the Junior High on Southworth Street that had previously housed grades 7, 8 and 9.
Again overcrowding became evident and in 1966 an addition had to be made to the 10-year old building.
In 1991, because of overcrowding in the elementary schools, the town’s grade 6 students were moved to a wing in the high school while plans were being drawn up for a new middle school for grades 6, 7 and 8. The completion of the middle school, on property adjacent to both the high school and the John R. Fausey Elementary School near Amostown Road, has created a large campus-like tract of land centrally located in the community dedicated to education. All three schools have adequate athletic fields and a considerable amount of open space for use as “outdoor laboratories”.