The community of Ballard grew out of a few scattered homesteads built on thickly forested slopes rising from the tidewaters of Salmon Bay. The fishing and boatbuilding industries that developed along Ballard's shorelines attracted immigrants from Scandinavia. When Ballard was incorporated in 1890, its sawmills were producing huge quantities of lumber and other wood products, earning it the nickname "Shingle Town USA."

Two schools served local children: the small Broadway School (see Adams) and Central School. Central School was Ballard's first two-story building. It was built after the first school in central Ballard, a single-room log cabin owned by a Mr. Brygger, burned down in 1889.

As in other communities with large numbers of immigrants, Ballard's schools played a major role in teaching both adults and children how to become Americans. While the young people went to school during the day, adults attended English and citizenship classes at night. In 1901, Ballard School District No. 50 changed from a grade 1-10 configuration at Central into two programs: Central School for grades 1-8 and Ballard High School for grades 9-12. Older Ballard district students no longer had to pay tuition and streetcar fare to attend Seattle High School downtown.

In 1907, when Ballard citizens voted to become part of the City of Seattle, the population was still growing and many new schools were being planned or already under construction. There was some concern that the Seattle School District would close the high school at Central and transfer its students to Lincoln. These fears were allayed when it was decided that Central School would be renamed Ballard High School and would remain open as a dedicated high school until a new building was constructed.