Classes began in the southern section of the Kunkle school.
The first schoolhouse in the Kunkle area was a wooden frame building erected around 1856 on the east side of County Road 17, a half-mile south of town. A brick structure was finished in October 1881 on or near the site of the frame school, and by 1911 it was replaced by a two-story wooden frame building.
On March 20, 1911, the roof of the frame schoolhouse caught fire. Students evacuated the building, and most of the books and two organs were saved before the structure burned to the ground.
Classes were held in the Rogers buggy shop until the brick school shown in this photo opened for classes on December 16, 1912, at the northwest edge of town.
By 1919, a number of surrounding one-room schools were consolidated with Kunkle to become the Kunkle Rural School District. The existing north wing was added to the school in 1919–20 to accommodate the additional students. Around this time, Kunkle received a high school charter and awarded diplomas for more than 30 years.
In 1956, the Kunkle schools merged with the Bridgewater Township and Pioneer school districts to become the North Central School District.
The Kunkle school and grounds were sold at public auction on November 27, 1993, to Don Ackley of rural Alvordton for $43,000.
This colorized, circa 1912 vintage image of the Kunkle school is from the Williams County Public Library Huffman Photographic Archives.
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