The first school in Buckeye was built in 1889. It was a one-room school made of lumber and located on the north side of Clanton Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets. Just one year after its construction, in 1890, W. J. Melton organized a Baptist church group which met there on Sundays and for socials. The school outgrew the building and had to move, but the church remained there until 1931. In 1903, Buckeye built a four-room, two-story, red brick building with an outdoor stairway with a woodshed under the stairway. It was situated just east of the original school and across from the present elementary school (211. S. Seventh Street, Buckeye, AZ 85326.) There were two large rooms on the ground floor and two upstairs.[citation needed]
In 1937, the Buckeye Elementary School was constructed on its current location.
As the community of Buckeye grew, so did the school district:
2004 - Bales Elementary School
2005 - Sundance Elementary School
2006 - WestPark Elementary School
2007 - Jasinski Elementary School
2008 - Inca Elementary School
2017 - Marionneaux Elementary School
2021 - John S. McCain III Elementary School
Recent changes:
BESD has shortened their school hours for the 23–24 school year. For many years, BESD followed this schedule:
M, Tu, Th, F: 7 hr, 15 min
W: 5 hr & 15 min
