Bethany Elementary School, Plano, Texas

R.W. Carpenter founded Bethany School, Bethany Church and Bethany Cemetery. Both the school and the church were located directly south of the existing cemetery on Custer Road, 1/2 mile south of our current Bethany Elementary School.
In 1876, the Bethany School began as a one room school house with one teacher, O. Matthews. By 1890, the school had three teachers and 43 students. At this time, Bethany School was privately funded at the yearly amount of $169.95
In the late 1800's and early 1900's, the area where Bethany Elementary is located, was known as Bethany Community. Each year during this time, the school and the Church were known for their production of a Christmas Pageant. This was a popular event even for the surrounding communities. People came from far and near to attend this special celebration. In 1933, Bethany Church was torn down. Bethany School was closed in 1935 and a few years later the building was demolished. The land was then donated to the Bethany Cemetery.
	The school as we know it today, was opened in 1993. As we look toward the future, we proudly seek to carry on the tradition of being a "community school".
Please send comments or suggestions to Mona Lisee Updated February 2008 Plano ISD is not responsible for contents on remote sites. Return to Top