History

Education in DeQuincy from DeQuincy, The Business Center of North Calcasieu and South Beauregard by TJ Ratliff 

                The history of the De Quincy High School dates back to the fall of 1899, when Mr. D. D. Hereford came to DeQuincy and started teaching in a one room building, near where the old Calcasieu Marine National Bank once stood.

                DeQuincy at that time was in her infancy’ it consisted of two stores, two boarding houses, and four small dwellings. The town began to grow and it was necessary to provide more room for the school. The next building was located near where the Post Office now stands. This was boxed house 40 feet by 60 feet, but it was adequate to take care of the school for several years.

                During the session that began in 1910, one hundred and forty-eight pupils were enrolled. During that year, a modern brick building was erected to provide for the needs of the growing school.

                In 1913 the school was made an Approved High School by the State Department of Education. During the session of 1920, the school was placed on the Accredited List of the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. This is one of the highest honors that a school can attain. At that time only 20 schools of the state met that standard.

                During the year of 1914, a second modern brick building was built. At that time the enrollment of the school had grown to nearly 700 pupils.

                The school buildings of De Quincy’s schools have been destroyed three times—once by a storm and twice by fire. In 1918 two buildings of the school were practically destroyed by a storm, but they were immediately rebuilt and school opened. In 1943 fire destroyed one of the school buildings, and then in 1970 a second fire destroyed the building that had been built to replace the building destroyed by the first fire. The gymnasium, located next to the building, was also burned.

                During the school year of 1959-60, the high school moved to its present location on Overton Street. This move left grades one through eight in the building on McNeese Street. When integration was planned for the DeQuincy schools, the grade assignments for the schools were changed. The elementary grades (K-5) were assigned to the buildings on McNeese Street. The junior high grades (6-8) were assigned to the Grand Avenue school, and the high grades (9-12) were assigned to the new high school building on Overton Street.