Lumbering, farming, and mining drew people to settle in Clovis. Since there was no school for the children, parents sent their children out of town to get an education. In 1895, a $5,000 bond was passed to build a school of their own.
A temporary school opened on September 19, 1895, in a Southern Pacific Railroad warehouse at fifth Street and Dewitt Avenue. Here Elizabeth Kanstrup taught nine grades for sixty-five dollars a month.
By 1897, a wooden two-story building, at Second Street and Pollasky Avenue, was completed. The entrance was reached by a flight of stairs with large pillars on each side. A bell in the belfry rang at 8:30 each morning. There were four large classrooms, a storeroom, and a principal's office. School began with a one-man faculty - Mr. Troutwine.
From 1899 until 1903, Clovis High School occupied the top floor.