Millwood Public Schools is a PK-12 district with an enrollment of approximately 1032 students in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The district covers an area of, with its boundaries between Lincoln Boulevard and Sunnylane/Coltrane Rroads on the west and east, and between NE 48th and NE 86th on the south and north. The student body is primarily made up of African-American students. Two schools, an arts academy, a ninth grade academy, a pre-school program and two community learning centers are maintained within the district.
A map discovered in 1987, dated June 8, 1900, is marked "Territory of Oklahoma, Oklahoma County, District 37," and is drawn with the current Millwood district boundaries. The land was purchased by a firm from South Carolina, which planned to build a cotton mill on the site along with homes and a school for mill workers, but the entire project was later dropped. The only work completed plotted for a housing project and the one-room school house historically known as Deep Fork School. In 1918, the school board traded the original site for another tract and a new three-room, two-story rock building was built. In 1935, with WPA labor, a large two-story rock building was built, complete with a principal's office, classrooms, cafeteria, and auditorium. Kindergarten was started in 1949 on a tuition basis, and in 1951, kindergarten was included in the regular school program. In 1956 Millwood consisted of Kindergarten through 8th grade with about 25 students in each grade. Like a lot of schools in those days, Millwood was segregated with an all white faculty and students until 1963-64. By 1962 attendance had more than doubled, and the school was an athletic power even back then. From 1960 to 1962 the basketball team was undefeated for three seasons, dominating conference members Pleasant Hill, Crutcho, Harrison and others and in 1962 defeated Casady's 8th grade team twice. In 1960 a new building which included 11 classrooms, library, new offices, kitchen, lounge, and cafeteria, was added at a cost of $275,000. Six new 72-passenger buses were purchased in 1963, along with a plan to expand the existing facilities and to add a ninth grade. The curriculum required additional facilities, including a home economics room, drafting and manual arts room, and two classrooms. During the spring of 1971, a special election was held for the purpose of establishing an independent school district with the addition of a new high school for grades 10-12. The high school was accredited the year of operation and held its first graduation in 1972 with 16 students.
Recent developments
A preschool program was added in 1980, and computer education programs were added in 1982. A pre-kindergarten program was added to the primary school in 1995. In 1996, the fifth grade was moved from the middle school to the primary school, which was then changed to an elementary school with grades pre-kindergarten through five. The sixth grade was moved from the middle school in the fall of 2002. The Millwood Elementary School Arts Academy opened for the 2003-2004 school year. Parents and staff participated in the development of this academy, designed to offer an intense, integrated arts curriculum with opportunities in the areas of drama, vocal/instrumental music, visual arts and dance. Admission to MESAA is through an application process. In the school year of 2006-2007, the arts academy reformed the middle school cheerleading squad.
