Schools

The Story of Our Schools

Bratenahl School 2019
Bratenahl School 2019

The Bratenahl Elementary School (grades one through eight), commonly referred to as the Bratenahl School, located at 10300 Brighton Road, opened for classes on February 4, 1907. Bratenahl elementary students attended the North Doan School, later the Oliver Wendell Holmes School, located at 625 East 105th Street, from 1904 to 1906, and met at a summer home near Lake Erie while the Bratenahl School was under construction.  A kindergarten class was added in September 1937.

Bratenahl High School 2019
Bratenahl High School 2019

The Bratenahl High School, located at 11404 Lake Shore Boulevard, opened for classes on September 3, 1975.  Prior to the opening, high school classes were held for two years (September 1971 to June 1973)  in three buildings located on the U.S. Nike Site property on the west end of Bratenahl and for two years (September 1973 to June 1975) at The Temple, located on East 105th Street in University Circle.

Both public schools closed permanently on June 30, 1981.  For over ten years prior to the closing, school officials and Bratenahl residents litigated at every level of the state and federal court system, including the Ohio and United States Supreme Courts, to keep the Bratenahl school system independent and its schools open.  Ultimately, their efforts were unsuccessful.

In March 1989, the Cleveland School Board agreed to transfer title to the elementary school building to the Village for one dollar. The deed to the property was executed on April 13, 1989.

The Cleveland School District owned the high school building and surrounding land for over forty years.  On January 27, 2021, title to the high school building and land returned to the Village of Bratenahl.

Recollections of Growing Up in Bratenahl

Stories about growing up in Bratenahl and attending the Bratenahl school system.

Former Bratenahl students are asked to submit your recollections of growing up in Bratenahl and attending the schools to the Bratenahl Historical Society for possible posting on this site in the future.

1927 Bratenahl School Orchestra, Bratenahl, Ohio

John Maxim (drums); Peairs Hasse (Sax) Jim Backus (sax) Gorman Dawes (horn); Ruth Aldrich (violin); Daniel Eisler (piano)

Photo on file with the Bratenahl Historical Society.

Class Rosters and Photos

The Bratenahl Historical Society will periodically post class photos, rosters and notes, starting with the final year of the Bratenahl School and the Bratenahl High School (1980-81).

School Staff and Administration

Stories about the School Board members, Superintendents, Teachers and Support Staff who guided and inspired the students who attended the Bratenahl schools.

1943-44 School Faculty, Bratenahl, Ohio
1943-44 School Faculty

Left to Right:  Ms. Rose E. Schafer; School Superintendent Sara Bair; Ms. Emily Miller (partially obscured); Ms. Julia M. Miller; Ms. Jesse F. McKee; Ms. Gertrude Roberts; and Ms. Marjorie Hilkert.

Photo on file with the Bratenahl Historical Society.

Fight To Save The Schools

Stories about the multi-year struggle to preserve the independence of the Bratenahl school system.

Bailiwicks and PTA News

The Bratenahl Historical Society maintains a large collection of the school newsletter, the Bratenahl Bailiwick, and the PTA News Bulletins.  Both detail the daily events at the Bratenahl School and Bratenahl High School.