The History of Fiske School

The Fiske School is named for the Fiske family who were among the early settlers of what was called Cambridge Farms, part of which is now called Lexington. The Fiske family came to America from Suffolk, England in the late 1630s.

The Fiske family assisted in building Lexington’s first meeting house, helped to buy the Common for the town, and fought in many wars, including the Revolutionary war of 1775.

Dr Robert Fiske (born in May 1718) lived on Hancock Street and was reputed to have been one of Lexington’s first doctors. Dr. Fiske’s house still stands today and was also the home of his father, David Fiske, and his son, Dr Robert Fiske.

It is Dr Joseph Fiske’s land that Fiske School stands on. His house and two other Fiske family homes can still be seen today on East Street. Dr Joseph Fiske was a surgeon during the Revolutionary War.

Old Fiske School

The Fiske School opened in 1949. In 1954, additional classrooms were added, bringing the total to 19.

The photograph on the right shows Fiske in 1964.

Two years later (1966), the Lexington School Committee unanimously approved accepting 25 students from Boston into Lexington schools. This was the first time this had been done. Concord and Lincoln soon followed.

The first kindergarten programs in Lexington public schools began in 1967.

In 2005 the original Fiske school was closed and all students and staff moved to a temporary home in the old Harrington building on Maple Street. Just after February vacation 2007, students moved back to a state of the art, brand new school.

The official ribbon cutting took place in April 2007 at the start of the annual Fiske Fair.

New Fiske School