Swarthmore Schools Collection

The Swarthmore School District, Delaware County, Pa., was created in 1893 with the incorporation of the Borough of Swarthmore. Previous to the incorporation, the area that became Swarthmore was part of Springfield Township. The new School District took over the public school building located on Yale Avenue. A second, larger structure was erected on the same site in 1898. The District graduated its first class in 1899 and subsequently erected buildings on Yale Avenue and Rutgers Avenue. From the beginning, many members of Swarthmore College faculty and staff have participated in the Borough's educational system.

Swarthmore also has a long tradition of private schools. In 1892 Arthur Hibbs Tomlinson opened a coeducational preparatory school which became the Swarthmore Preparatory School. This was converted to a boys-only school in 1913, and in the same year, Mr. and Mrs. Haldy Miller Crist opened the Mary Lyon School, a school for girls.

The great majority of Swarthmore students have attended the public schools. Swarthmore School District merged with Rutledge in 1955. In 1971, the Swarthmore-Rutledge School District was consolidated with Nether Providence School District to form the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District. The merger was completed in 1983 with the opening of Strath Haven High School.