1883–1908 Central School, a two-story wooden building, was the first school located on the southwest block at Fourth and Stevens. A four-room school, it opened in October 1883. In 1890, citizens voted bonds to build a new high school and four elementary schools. The old Central school building was moved to the corner of Fifth and Bernard and became a private school. The new high school, first known as "Spokane High School," was constructed on the Fourth and Stevens site and opened in 1891. By 1906, the influx of immigrants and subsequent boom in Spokane's population created a need for a second high school.
North Central High School was built and opened in 1908 to serve the students on the north side the river. Spokane High School became known as South Central High School.
South Central Fire Fire destroyed South Central High School in 1910, shortly after sunrise on June 21. The blaze destroyed the interior of the school but left the remains of the exterior walls standing. In January 1911, citizens passed a bond issue of $500,000 to pay for replacement of the school. In a ceremony, former President
Teddy Roosevelt laid the
cornerstone of the school on April 8, 1911. Problems in construction and strikes by workers delayed the opening until April 1912. Meanwhile, the
Spokane Daily Chronicle encouraged readers to enter a contest to suggest names for the new high school. Richard Hargreaves, the principal of North Central, suggested the names of
Lewis and
Clark, using one name for each high school, North and South Central. The school board settled for naming the south side school Lewis and Clark High School. In 2001, the school was added to the United States
National Register of Historic Places and The Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Places.
Expansion In 2019, work began on a $23.4 million addition to the school, adding eight classrooms, a commons area and a cafeteria. Prior to the construction of the cafeteria, students ate lunch in the hallways or would walk to a cluster of nearby fast food restaurants. This expansion was approved under the same bond that allowed for the replacement of
Joe Albi Stadium with a smaller multiuse stadium. With the addition of the commons to the building's western side, students were no longer allowed to leave campus during school hours and were confined to the commons building for lunch time. ==Demographics==