Littlefield Unified School District
Encyclopedia
Littlefield Unified School District is a school district
headquartered in Beaver Dam
, Arizona
. The district offices moved to their own administrative services site in June 2011 at the site of the former Beaver Dam Middle School.
LUSD is the largest school district geographically in Mohave County
, located in the extreme Northwest corner of the State. The School District serves the unincorporated towns of Beaver Dam, Littlefield
, Desert Springs and Scenic
, Arizona, including Arvada and Fairview. It has a population of roughly 560 students K-12 within three schools: one elementary, one middle school and one high school.
The 1926-27 school year exhibited a tremendous group of students attending at the one room school in Littlefield. The attendance/grade book is dominated by a few family names: McKnight, Leavitt, Peterson, Frehner, and Reber. The average daily attendance was 13 students.
Not much changed for the next 60 years within the district. Dessie Reber, the school’s only teacher for many years, demonstrates fluctuating enrollment through the 1960s and 1970s in her grade books (anywhere between 5 and 15 students in the entire district). The same prominent community names existed on the rolls during this time with the addition of a few move-ins, such as the Harris and Jones families. Almost all of these family names reside in the area to this day.
There were years during the late 1970s and early 1980s where only one or two students were enrolled at the school. Growth began to occur in the district during the latter part of the 1980s. The one-room school house soon had several modular buildings dotting the perimeter of the property. By 1992 enrollment at the school approached 100 students.
Throughout the 20th century, all students attending the Littlefield School
were taught up until 5th or 8th grade. Students then proceeded to Virgin Valley High School
in Mesquite, Nevada
, where they were able to participate in programs and graduate from an accredited institution. A Certificate of Educational Convenience (CEC) was approved by the County Superintendent authorizing the district to use Arizona funds for tuition of students attending Virgin Valley High School. In the 1991-92 school year, Littlefield Middle School was established, and students in grades 6-8 no longer traveled to Mesquite for further education.
With enrollment steadily climbing, the governing board of the district enlisted the assistance of the newly established Arizona School Facilities Board
to assist in the construction of a new school across the Interstate 15
freeway, and in 1996, then-Arizona governor Fife Symington arrived at the Littlefield School with a $3 million check to the district. In 1999, Beaver Dam Elementary opened and a new era began. The Littlefield site was abandoned as students in grades K-8 moved into the new building. It was temporarily used again in the 2000-2001 school year due to increased elementary enrollment, and students were bussed to the newer school for lunch.
Unprecedented student and community growth continued, prompting discussion among the board regarding the prospect of a new high school in Beaver Dam. It was soon determined to build the school, slated for opening in 2003. Students who would be graduating from Beaver Dam High School in 2006 remained at the elementary school their freshman year and all subsequent students would also attend the entirety of their elementary and secondary education within the district.
In 2002, an eight classroom addition was added to the Beaver Dam Elementary School to accommodate continued growth in addition to providing space for the additional secondary students. Two modular buildings were brought from the Littlefield site to Beaver Dam where they were remodeled. This provided four additional classrooms to be utilized by the middle school and high school students.
Beaver Dam High School opened its doors in the fall of 2004. Two additional modular buildings were added to the middle school campus over the next few years in addition to a sport court and locker room facility.
An additional wing was constructed at the high school in 2008 and includes a media center, commons area, and six classrooms. A capital improvement bond was passed by the community shortly thereafter, facilitating the construction of vocational facility, stage, and visiting team locker rooms. Athletic fields and landscaping were also completed at this time.
Today the district serves approximately 560 students residing in Littlefield, Beaver Dam, Desert Springs, Arvada and Scenic. The elementary school, middle school, and high school are all located within walking distance of each other in Beaver Dam.
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
headquartered in Beaver Dam
Beaver Dam, Arizona
Beaver Dam is an unincorporated community in Mohave County located in the extreme northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona, in the Arizona Strip region. It is located along Interstate 15 approximately 10 miles northeast of Mesquite, Nevada...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. The district offices moved to their own administrative services site in June 2011 at the site of the former Beaver Dam Middle School.
LUSD is the largest school district geographically in Mohave County
Mohave County, Arizona
Mohave County is located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2010 census, its population was 200,186, an increase of 45,154 people since the 2000 census count of 155,032. The county seat is Kingman...
, located in the extreme Northwest corner of the State. The School District serves the unincorporated towns of Beaver Dam, Littlefield
Littlefield, Arizona
Littlefield is an unincorporated community in Mohave County located in the Arizona Strip region of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is located along Interstate 15 approximately 10 miles northeast of Mesquite, Nevada...
, Desert Springs and Scenic
Scenic, Arizona
Scenic, Arizona is a small unincorporated community in extreme northwestern Arizona. Scenic is recognized as a distinct area by Mohave County planners and documents which reference its existence...
, Arizona, including Arvada and Fairview. It has a population of roughly 560 students K-12 within three schools: one elementary, one middle school and one high school.
History
The history of Littlefield Unified School District #9 dates back to the early 1900s when a few families in the farming communities of Littlefield and Beaver Dam were holding school in their homes. An adobe building was constructed several hundred feet above the Virgin River in Littlefield and formal education commenced there sometime around 1910.The 1926-27 school year exhibited a tremendous group of students attending at the one room school in Littlefield. The attendance/grade book is dominated by a few family names: McKnight, Leavitt, Peterson, Frehner, and Reber. The average daily attendance was 13 students.
Not much changed for the next 60 years within the district. Dessie Reber, the school’s only teacher for many years, demonstrates fluctuating enrollment through the 1960s and 1970s in her grade books (anywhere between 5 and 15 students in the entire district). The same prominent community names existed on the rolls during this time with the addition of a few move-ins, such as the Harris and Jones families. Almost all of these family names reside in the area to this day.
There were years during the late 1970s and early 1980s where only one or two students were enrolled at the school. Growth began to occur in the district during the latter part of the 1980s. The one-room school house soon had several modular buildings dotting the perimeter of the property. By 1992 enrollment at the school approached 100 students.
Throughout the 20th century, all students attending the Littlefield School
Littlefield School
Littlefield School was a school that served grades Kindergarten through Eighth. It is part of the Littlefield Unified School District.Littlefield School was in use from the early 1920s until 1999 when the new Beaver Dam Elementary was built and ready for use.-Former Principals:*Dr. John P. Broberg...
were taught up until 5th or 8th grade. Students then proceeded to Virgin Valley High School
Virgin Valley High School
Virgin Valley High School is a high school in Mesquite, Nevada under the jurisdiction of the Clark County School District. Up until the opening of Beaver Dam High School in Beaver Dam, Arizona , high school students from the Littlefield Unified School District across the Colorado River attended...
in Mesquite, Nevada
Mesquite, Nevada
Mesquite is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the Arizona state line and northeast of Las Vegas. As of the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 15,277. The city is located in the Virgin River Valley...
, where they were able to participate in programs and graduate from an accredited institution. A Certificate of Educational Convenience (CEC) was approved by the County Superintendent authorizing the district to use Arizona funds for tuition of students attending Virgin Valley High School. In the 1991-92 school year, Littlefield Middle School was established, and students in grades 6-8 no longer traveled to Mesquite for further education.
With enrollment steadily climbing, the governing board of the district enlisted the assistance of the newly established Arizona School Facilities Board
Arizona School Facilities Board
The Arizona School Facilities Board is a state agency of the state of Arizona. It finances the construction of new public district schools....
to assist in the construction of a new school across the Interstate 15
Interstate 15
Interstate 15 is the fourth-longest north–south Interstate Highway in the United States, traveling through the states of California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, and Montana from San Diego to the Canadian border...
freeway, and in 1996, then-Arizona governor Fife Symington arrived at the Littlefield School with a $3 million check to the district. In 1999, Beaver Dam Elementary opened and a new era began. The Littlefield site was abandoned as students in grades K-8 moved into the new building. It was temporarily used again in the 2000-2001 school year due to increased elementary enrollment, and students were bussed to the newer school for lunch.
Unprecedented student and community growth continued, prompting discussion among the board regarding the prospect of a new high school in Beaver Dam. It was soon determined to build the school, slated for opening in 2003. Students who would be graduating from Beaver Dam High School in 2006 remained at the elementary school their freshman year and all subsequent students would also attend the entirety of their elementary and secondary education within the district.
In 2002, an eight classroom addition was added to the Beaver Dam Elementary School to accommodate continued growth in addition to providing space for the additional secondary students. Two modular buildings were brought from the Littlefield site to Beaver Dam where they were remodeled. This provided four additional classrooms to be utilized by the middle school and high school students.
Beaver Dam High School opened its doors in the fall of 2004. Two additional modular buildings were added to the middle school campus over the next few years in addition to a sport court and locker room facility.
An additional wing was constructed at the high school in 2008 and includes a media center, commons area, and six classrooms. A capital improvement bond was passed by the community shortly thereafter, facilitating the construction of vocational facility, stage, and visiting team locker rooms. Athletic fields and landscaping were also completed at this time.
Today the district serves approximately 560 students residing in Littlefield, Beaver Dam, Desert Springs, Arvada and Scenic. The elementary school, middle school, and high school are all located within walking distance of each other in Beaver Dam.
Schools
- Littlefield SchoolLittlefield SchoolLittlefield School was a school that served grades Kindergarten through Eighth. It is part of the Littlefield Unified School District.Littlefield School was in use from the early 1920s until 1999 when the new Beaver Dam Elementary was built and ready for use.-Former Principals:*Dr. John P. Broberg...
(defunct) - Beaver Dam Elementary
- Beaver Dam Middle School
- Beaver Dam High School