North Platte High School

North Platte High School (NPHS) is a public high school in North Platte, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the North Platte Public Schools district. History The first public school in North Platte was a log schoolhouse located at the corner of 5th and Dewey streets. Built in 1868 using private funds and made of "red cedar logs which were obtained in the canyons south of the river," it opened on November 30, 1868, with less than twelve students. That number grew to around 80 by 1870, and despite an addition finished that year, the building became inadequate. Work began on a new building in 1873. The log school was sold at auction in 1874 for $611. It served several private functions until it was later torn down in April 1921. By 1874 the student population numbered 270, and on August 27 of that year, work was finished on a two-story brick school built between Third and Fourth streets on North Dewey. The building was damaged by an earthquake less than a year after its completion and, despite repairs, was declared unsafe in 1899. In 1900, a new high school was completed on the same lot. It contained an auditorium, seven classrooms, and five recitation rooms. By 1920, North Platte's student population had grown to 1,685, and the building became crowded. It was eventually demolished in 1932 following a report in 1926 by engineers which stated, according to the Superintendent, that the "building was unsafe in a high wind." A number of the city's ward schools (schools for lower grades) were first constructed during its lifetime to accommodate increasing demand (most have since been completely rebuilt).