Edward Little High School


Edward Little High School is a public high school in Auburn, Maine, United States. The school was established in 1835 as Lewiston Falls Academy after philanthropist Edward Little donated and considerable money to the academy, which was named in his honor. The school is now situated on a tract of land overlooking the city from the top of Goff Hill in Auburn Heights.

History

19th century

The school was first commissioned by the Maine State Legislature as Lewiston Falls Academy. Little contributed numerous resources to the school, including land and money. It was renamed to the Edward Little Institute in September 1849. When the City of Auburn was given control over the school in April 1874, it came with the condition that the school always be named in honor of Edward Little.
In December 1884, the school was damaged by a fire. Newspaper accounts reported the building that cost $18,000 to build was insured for $6,000. The school suffered another fire this one destroyed the entire third floor in 1943.

20th century

In the early 1930s, a second building was erected. In 1961, the building formerly used as Edward Little High School was completed at a cost of US$1.9 million.

21st century

In June 2009, the school was placed on probation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Reasons cited for this probation included "the poor and inadequate condition of the school's kitchen facility...the insufficient heating system," and low funding for educational resources and technology.
In 2023, the construction of a replacement building reached completion, opening for the 2023-24 school year. The former building has since been demolished.

Athletics

The school's sports teams are known as the Red Eddies, with the ghost of Edward Little as their mascot. The school competes as a member of the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference. The school's most successful teams in recent years include Alpine ski racing, soccer, basketball, and track and field. Other sports include soccer, baseball, cheerleading, cross country running, football, lacrosse, swimming, ice and field hockey, and tennis.

Notable alumni