In the early years of this century, high school was available only in Toronto, and students who live in Port Credit had to travel all the way to Parkdale Collegiate, if they wanted to continue their schooling beyond Grade 8. Shortly after World War I, overcrowding become a concern. There was a movement in city schools to raise the fees of students living outside the district, or even to exclude them from attending altogether.

At a public meeting, Port Credit rate-payers reacted by agreeing to construct a 5-room school on 3 acres of land to be shared by elementary and secondary students. By 1919, the Port Credit Public School Board establishes its "Continuation School" on Forest Avenue. It consisted of 2 rooms and boasted 2 teachers: Mr. Doupe and Miss Leggott. All 22 students payed tuition fees! Although "First Form" was free, "Second Form" costs $9.00, while "Third and Fourth Forms" set students back $15.00 a year.

The need for more space was soon apparent. In fact, because the school did not have an auditorium, drama students performed the 1922 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at Clark Hall. Lack of proper facilities also limited physical education classes. Basketball has to be played outside, weather permitting. Even baseball suffered, with games played on grounds that resemble a farmer's ploughed field. In 1926, a 6-room addition was added to accommodate ever-rising numbers. By 1928, the school growth jumps exponentially; there are 217 eager students and a dedicated staff of 6 !

In June of 1929, on the eve of the Great Depression, excavation began on a new building for Port Credit High School. It was to consist of 10 classrooms, physics and chemistry labs, a library and an auditorium which seated 500. Add to these features, a brand new gym, a circular track, a basement cafeteria (with separate boys' and girls' lunch rooms), a "Lady Teachers' Room", and individual lockers for winter wear. There you have it-- all you can desire in a modern high school!