Buford Schools: A Tradition of Excellence Dating Back to the 1800s

From its earliest days, Buford has always been proud of its commitment to education, and with good reason. Its very first school was held in a log cabin for three months during the summer of 1870, and again in 1871. Twenty-five students  from six families attended the dirt floored classroom, each family contributing to the teacher's pay. In 1872 the school was moved to a more substantial building on what is now New Street, and within a year the number of students had gown to 50. An advertising circular at that time stated that tuition for the various curriculums ranged from $8 to $20, due at the close of every five month session. Students were advised that boarding facilities were available in and around "the village" for $8 to $10 a month.

In 1873, Emory graduate and popular head teacher, W. Robert Pool, instituted the first September through May school term, earning him the distinction of being considered the father of the Buford School system.

With Buford's growing population, it wasn't long before the New Street school no longer had adequate space to hold classes or assemblies. In 1884, after a few false starts, a brick educational building known as The Academy, was built at the north end of Spring Street. Financial problems related to its construction resulted in the Masonic Lodge taking title of the building, but in the spirit of community well-being, the Lodge confined it's meetings to the top floor of The Academy, while the lower floor continued to be used for classrooms for 20 years.

Writing about this period of Buford's educational history wouldn't be complete without mention of W.N. Nunn. Professor Nunn was first named co-principal of The Academy in 1900, and eventually became Superintendent of Schools. He was an influential and much loved member of the community, for over 30 years overseeing the education of generations of children. Under his leadership, Buford gained the reputation as one of the top ranked school systems in the state.

By 1906, with the student body numbering nearly 150, the need for an even larger school was evident and a two story brick structure was built near the Buford Cemetery on what is now Little Mill Road and Jackson Streets. Sometimes referred to as the City School, it housed both grammar and high school classes, grades 1-11 (a twelfth grade wasn't introduced until later). School attendance was now compulsory, and truant officers were hired.  A $1 matriculation fee was charged to students who lived inside the city limits (slightly more for those who did not), and teachers received an average pay of $100 a month for nine months, depending on grade and subject matter taught. 

The mellow toll of the school bell was a familiar sound across the town for over three decades, while an 85-foot steel water tower on the school grounds remained an iconic Buford landmark for 68 years. In 1919 and 1924 extensions and an additional building were added to increase classroom space, and finally in 1926 a separate auditorium was built. The auditorium became a cultural center for all of Buford's citizens, and lectures, debates and concerts were held there for many years. Today only the auditorium still stands.

At the end of WWII, school enrollment had reached 575 and the need for both more space and separate facilities for different age groups became obvious.  In 1950 a new high school named after Bona Allen was built on Hill Street for the 7th through 12th grades, with the addition of a large gymnasium in 1951. For a time, K-6 classes continued in the old building near the cemetery until a new elementary school was built near the Bona Allen school in 1956. At that point total enrollment for all grades was just over 800 students. Beginning in the early 1950s vocational classes were conducted for returning veterans at the high school, and Adult Education programs continued there for many years.

It's important to note that typical to the town's spirit, the Buford school system has always operated as an independent entity, and was established as such by state legislation in 1912. In the 1950s, that independence was threatened when a campaign was raised to consolidate with Gwinnett County schools with the possible construction of North Gwinnett High in Buford. The issue was voted on and soundly defeated in 1956. A proposition to consolidate the school system with that of the county was again raised in the mid 1970s, and was again defeated. Today, the Buford City School system consists of those public educational facilities located within the city limits.

From the first, the citizens of Buford realized that education for all of its children was important. The first black school was established in 1890 near North Hill Street, and new schools were built or relocated to upgraded facilities  in 1906 and 1920.  Enrollment continued to grow and, in the 1950s, 215 of Buford's black children attended the newly erected school on Bona Road. According to Historic Buford  an integrated school system in 1960s Buford "was accomplished with relative ease," although full integration didn't occur until 1969, when the predominately black Greenard-Watson school was closed and its students and teachers were incorporated into the general school system.

In 1977, the Buford Comprehensive High School (known as just Buford High School) was built on a 10-acre tract of land that had once been part of the Bona Allen estate. Modern classrooms, a larger faculty, a 500 seat auditorium and regulation sized basketball court were all just a small part of the improvements that were implemented for the new school. The Bona Allen School was renovated in 1979 and became the middle school and new classrooms were added to the elementary school. As with Buford schools in the past, the adequacy of these campuses were once again outstripped by the swiftly growing population of the town, and the current Buford High was built on Sawnee Avenue, holding its first classes in 1990. The story of how that school's state of the art facilities and first class athletic center came to be is worthy of an entire post unto itself, and will be covered in a future blog. Today, the newly opened Buford Community Center is located on the site where the Buford Comprehensive High School once stood.

As of 2013 there are four schools in the Buford City School System with a current total enrollment of around 3,700. Like their earlier counterparts, all of the schools in the system are committed to the the highest standards of education for Buford's youth, and it's not surprising that according to a 2010 report, Buford High was ranked  in the top 20 schools in the state of Georgia (US News Education.)

I like to think that W. Robert Pool and W.N. Nunn would be proud that Buford's educational system has carried on the tradition of excellence that they began.

Rebecca