The Little Crossroads School at the intersection of east main street extension and the golf links road of the eighteen hundreds, was the first Mechanicstown School.  All six grades were taught by one teacher.  At times, 50 pupils were taught there even though it was designed to accommodate 35.  This one-room school house with a pot belly stove in the middle of the room and outdoor toilets. Closed in 1926.  The last teacher was Miss. Niering.  The building had been remodeled into a home and remains on the crossroads site.

An 80 pupil school was built on a six acre tract of land purchased in 1925 at the current site of the Mechanicstown School.  Set back some 75 feet from the road, the structure, with it’s green shutters, concrete walks and spacious classrooms was a far cry from the little frame building at the crossroads.  The new School house was equipped with everything.  From the desks to an automatic fire alarm system and had two 40 seat classrooms, a basement, storeroom and clothes closets with “Disappearing” doors.  The school was part of the Wallkill II school district of Middletown until the enlarged City of Middletown acquired it through consolidation in July of 1963. 

In the early 1970’s an addition was built as a result of the tremendous growth in the area, the Board of Education approved extensive renovations and new construction at the Mechanicstown site in 1985.  The project included twelve new classrooms, a new cafetorium music and band rooms, and gymnasium, and renovations of the open wing.  The original Red School House and Brick School Building were demolished in the summer of 1986, and students returned to the newly designed building for the 1986-87 School Year.

At that time, Mechanicstown School had a total population of 602 students and a staff of 71, including principal, instructional leaders, reading and math specialist, school office manager, typist, clerks, 26 grade level teachers, 3½ special education teachers, physical education teachers, art, music, instrumental music, librarian, speech and hearing, computer ed. and gifted education teachers, psychologist, social worker, school nurse, teaching assistants, monitors, cafeteria staff and custodial staff.

Our students are from the Mechanicstown area as well as the sunrise drive and park circle area, the east main street areas of dunning road, golf links road, and smith road, the Scotchtown area of Silverlake-Sheffield Apartments, Crestwood Apartments, schutt road, the meadows and Canterbury Knolls.

Our philosophy has been a simple one: children must be in school the better part of everyday, so why shouldn’t they have an enjoyable experience?  School should be a good feeling, and this feeling permeates all aspects of life at Mechanicstown School.