After the founding of Sallisaw in 1888, a National School for the Cherokees was established. The other children had to attend private schools or did not go to school at all. The lack of a public school in Sallisaw soon became a major issue.
In June of 1900, a sizable group of people met to confront the problem. They selected a School Committee (later called a School Board) to secure a building and propose the levying of a school tax to raise money, members of this first committee were: W.H. McDonald, C.F. Ivey and R.W. Hines. Soon after, the town's founder, Argyle Quesenbury, donated property for the school. By 1900, a public school was in operation in a small two-room building with Mr. H.L. Nichols appointed the first Superintendent and teacher. Mrs. W.L. Curtis was hired to be his assistant teacher.
The first Sallisaw Kindergarten classes began in 1970 with two teachers, Emma Harris and Mary Jo Trudeau, in charge. The Indian Capital Vo-Tech School was completed in 1972 making it possible for Sallisaw High School students to spend one-half of a day in training for occupational skills. In 1974, a disastrous fire destroyed the 1938 school auditorium and the next two years a new building was built on the same site. Back in 1950, Mrs. Louie (Burton) Cheek after 24 years out of school returned to school to complete her senior year and earned her High School Diploma. But it was not until the 1970's that an Adult Education Program became a permanent part of Sallisaw schools.
A new High School Gymnasium was completed and occupied on January 11, 1994. Several times during the 1990's, school officials tried to get a bond issue passed to build a much-needed High School Auditorium but all failed. A bond issue was passed to enlarge the Kindergarten, located on the same campus as Liberty and Eastside Elementary Schools.
In 1900, Sallisaw Public Schools began with 60 students in a building with two rooms taught by two teachers. It now has 1,958 students located in four school complexes with no less than twenty buildings taught by 137 teachers.
