Photo of Cookstown Public School's exterior. The front of the building is bordered by a picket fence and two trees, and the building itself features a belfry. The first school in Cookstown was a small log cabin built in 1852 but by 1864 was too small to accommodate the growing number of students. A quarter acre of land was purchased on Lot 2 Concession 11 for $80 where a frame building was constructed. It later moved to Lot 1 Concession 11. In 1888 a new school was built on the corner of Wellington and George Streets, and remodelled in 1913 for use as both a public school and continuation school. The three rooms on the main floor were used for grades one to eight and two rooms on the second floor for grades nine to twelve. The continuation school closed in 1951 and students were bused to Banting Memorial High School in Alliston, although elementary students continued to use the building until 1959.
