Wellington School was originally built and operated as the Belmont High School.
The school's name honors Mr. Roger Wellington, one of Belmont's original settlers and the former owner of the land on which the school is located.
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School History
Wellington School was constructed in 1892 and then remodeled into an elementary school in 1971.
In 1972, the high school moved to its present location, and Wellington officially opened its doors as an elementary school.
The Wellington School is the oldest of the elementary buildings in Belmont. The Centre School, as it was formerly known, was renamed the Wellington School in 1895 to honor the first settler of Belmont and the former owner of the land on which the school is located. The first Wellington School was on School Street, and was destroyed in the early twentieth century.
The building now known as Wellington was constructed in 1892, and two additional wings were added in 1908. In 1915, a donation allowed a new high school to be built to the rear of Wellington, and the high school grades were moved from the Homer school (now the Homer Municipal Building) in 1917.
Fifteen years later, an addition joined the two buildings. Several additions and renovations took place over the years, until the original structure was torn down in 1963. It was remodeled into an elementary school in 1971. In 1972, the high school moved to its present location, and Wellington officially opened its doors as an elementary school. Over the years, the number of pupils attending Wellington increased as the Payson Park and Kendall elementary schools were closed.
On March 25, 2009, the Board of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) unanimously voted to award $12.4 million in state funds towards construction of a new Wellington School. Total project costs are estimated to be no more than $39.7 million, including temporary relocation of students, site preparation, and up-front energy-saving "green" costs.
From February 2010 to June 2011, The Wellington School was located at 201 Concord Avenue. The school was temporarily housed in modular buildings next to the Belmont High School.
The new Wellington is a 5-track school (5 classrooms per grade) of approximately 84,000 square feet. It also houses the district-wide preschool.
Curious note: Left behind and relocated in a small brick wall adjacent to the playground is the cornerstone of the first section of the high school.
Source: "Footsteps Through Belmont" by Dick Betts and the Belmont Citizen Herald, Aug 28, 2009.