Garfield Negro School is one of the many forgotten “negro schools” of Travis County that educated African American students. Many negro schools such as this one were financially strapped and operated on a tight schedule. Not many people know about the Garfield Negro School or its entire existance.
In 1892, Garfield Negro School was established and built as a white barrack shaped single story building that was a one-room school building similar to Sprinkle Negro School. Garfield Negro School was located 3 miles west of Garfield, Texas off Highway 71 near Richards Drive. Garfield Negro School had first went under the name of Devotion School and educated students in the Colorado Common School District (now Del Valle ISD). The one-room school building educated students in grades 1 through 7. 8th grade students and 9th grade students attended Kealing Junior High School (now Kealing Middle School) in Austin.
1900 is the year when Devotion School changed its name into Garfield Negro School. Its was changed to Garfield School later in honor of US President James A. Garfield. The Garfield Negro School itself was named for US President James A. Garfield. The citizens were well receptive to the idea of renaming the school.
Improvements were made to the school in 1902. More improvements followed in the year of 1903. Ratio for this school was 41 students per teacher. Later on the school district employed 2 teachers to teach at the Garfield Negro School.
Garfield Negro School counted 82 students in the 1934-1935 semester. The cost was $1,456 per year with an average of $32.35 per student a year. Average daily attendance for Garfield Negro School was 45 students at best. Two teachers split classes into a 120 day period. This teaching period was split in half.
Garfield Negro School counted 80 students in the 1935-1936 semester. Student enrollment during the Great Depression more or less stayed the same despite economic turmoil. Rural Travis County was hit hard by the Great Depression as was the rest of the country. Throughout its history, Garfield Negro School had served and educated students in grades 1 through 7.
The Garfield schools and original Garfield Negro School itself was consolidated into Colorado Common School District (now Del Valle Independent School District) in 1954 following the school consolidation movement in Texas State. Classes continued in 1954 however. In 1956, the school received 3 new teachers.
In 1966, Garfield Negro School integrated into Garfield White School (Garfield School) and Garfield School had operated thereout until the 1967-1968 school year when Del Valle ISD decided to closed the school due to loss of property tax revenue and lack of funding.
On June 7, 2010, the Garfield Negro School building was merged into the original Garfield White School (Garfield School) building and was transformed into the Garfield Library.
Today the Garfield Negro School serves as Garfield Library and the Garfield White School serves as the Hit The Spot Cafe. The school has been split in half into 2 businesses with the left half being Hit The Spot Cafe and the right half being Garfield Library. Garfield Library operates under East Travis Gateway Library District.
Today Garfield Negro School sits at the location of 5121 Albert Brown Drive, Del Valle, Texas, US 78617 where Garfield Library and Hit The Spot Cafe are located.
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