The History of The Swain School

In the beginning, there were eight kindergarten students - four boys and four girls - who met with D. Esther Swain each morning in the upstairs spare bedroom of a neighbor. The small but enthusiastic band used orange crates for bookshelves and sat in a circle on the floor for songs, games and stories because there weren't enough chairs to do otherwise. A whooping cough epidemic shut down the program early that year, but, by the next September, Mrs. Swain reopened at a new location with 19 youngsters.

During the next 15 years the school grew steadily adding grades as the youngsters grew. Mrs. Swain taught, created the curriculum, ran the business end of things, and even cooked the children's lunch each day on a hotplate!

In 1945 the school moved again, and by 1950 it had grown to include a middle school program. Fortunately, at this point, the school received the gift of a 22-acre "alfalfa field" in what is now the southwestern part of Allentown. In 1951, Swain opened at its present location with 91 students and nine teachers. Buildings have been added since then to accommodate a growing student body. The most recent addition in 2000 included The McCann Center (gymnasium/auditorium) and additional classrooms.

From 1965 to 1989, Swain offered a complete high school curriculum. However, the Board of Trustees felt that it could best serve the interests of Preschool through Middle School children, so the Upper School was discontinued after 1989.

Today, after nearly 80 years in the community, Swain has grown to an enrollment of about 300 students and a faculty/staff of more than 80 professionals.