Wyandanch School District

Up until 1923, the current Wyandanch and Deer Park School Districts were one school district known as Town of Babylon School District No. 7. Prior to the 1872 creation of the Town of Babylon, the school district was known as Town of Huntington School District No. 24. The first schoolhouse for the old School District No. 7 was most likely a one-room design built in the mid-1800s, on Deer Park Avenue. Students from the western part of the old school district traveled to a schoolhouse at the eastern end of the district, in Deer Park, before a schoolhouse was opened on Straight Path, Wyandanch, in 1912. 

 






A postcard view of the Wyandanch schoolhouse opened in 1912. The old school site is the one occupied by the present Wyandanch Public Library.

A few years after the 1923 district division, a new brick school was built. Opened in 1937, the Wyandanch Public School was built on the east side of Straight Path, further south than the first school. The building was subsequently expanded and is presently the School District Administration Building. 






The Wyandanch Public School, pictured circa 1940. 

The 1950s population boom brought many changes to Wyandanch, particularly the need for more school facilities. Prior to the establishment of a dedicated high school for the Wyandanch School District, students typically attended high schools in Babylon or Lindenhurst. 

School District Mascot – Warriors 

School District Colors – Green and White 

  • Martin L. King Jr. Elementary School (formerly named Mount Avenue Elementary School) – opened 1956
    • The school was renamed in 1969, honoring the Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  
  • LaFrancis Hardiman Elementary School – opened 1999
    • In 1969, the LaFrancis Hardiman Early Childhood Center opened for pre-kindergarten students. In 1999, the Wyandanch School District built a second elementary school, and named it LaFrancis Hardiman Elementary School.
    • PFC LaFrancis Hardiman, a graduate of Wyandanch Memorial High School Class of 1966, was killed in action in the Vietnam War, November 13, 1967.
  • Milton L. Olive Middle School – opened 1966
    • Just 16 days before his 19th birthday, PFC Milton L. Olive was killed in action in the Vietnam War, October 22, 1965. Milton threw himself on the grenade, sacrificing his life and saving four others. For his heroic actions, Milton L. Olive was awarded, posthumously, the Congressional Medal Honor, our country’s highest military honor. PFC Milton L. Olive was the first African-American recipient of the Medal of Honor, from the Vietnam War. 
    • Nearly one year after PFC Olive was killed in action, the Wyandanch school board held a ceremony on October 2, 1966 naming the community’s new school building in his honor. Appearing before the school board, James Ellison suggested the idea of naming the school after Milton L. Olive and having “pointed out that Private Olive had given his life to save fellow soldiers, without worrying about their race, creed, or color,” the board members unanimously agreed that the naming of the school after this great role model would be a lasting tribute to his sacrifice and to the hopes and aspirations of future generations.
  • Wyandanch Memorial High School – opened 1960
    • The "memorial" name is highlighted by a plaque in the main foyer, which reads: “Dedicated to all the members of the community who served in the Armed Forces of our country.” 

Wyandanch Union Free School District · 1445 Straight Path, Wyandanch, NY 11798 · (631) 870-0400 · www.wyandanch.k12.ny.us