y 1920, Broward County's population had grown to 5,135 and school personnel salaries had also increased. Teacher salaries had reached $100 per month while an athletic director earned $115 and a principal $150 a month. Also in 1920, a new concept was created when Fort Lauderdale’s grammar school separated seventh and eighth graders from the lower grades and created Junior High School.

In 1920, Deerfield Beach's "old school house" was constructed, replacing its wood-framed structure. A bond issue of $12,000 provided funding for the new masonry building which was constructed in what was the center of Deerfield at that time.

A school day in Deerfield School mirrored the experience of many students of that time in Broward County. Desks were made of wood and wrought iron and were placed in rows in front of the teacher's wooden desk. School hours were 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. School was called to order by a large hand-tolled bell and discipline maintained with the help of rulers and paddles. Upper grades met in one room and lower grades in another separated by a folding divider. Many children walked home for lunch. Graduating was a major event in the life of a student and his or her family. Each student took great pains to write an essay and practice reading it out loud in preparation for graduation day.

Enrollment at Deerfield School had increased by 1925, and a wooden building, similar to the wooden "portables" used today, was added. Eventually the building known as Deerfield School was traded by the Broward County Board of Public Instruction to the City of Deerfield Beach in exchange for the land on which the existing Deerfield Beach Elementary School is built.  The old school house is now used as a school museum and public meeting room.

Hollywood Central Elementary School - 1925

The B.F. James School in Hallandale was constructed in the 1920s and remained in use until 1970. The school was attended by Black students who lived in northwest Hallandale.

Hollywood’s first school was actually a California style bungalow house located on Madison Street.  Six students attended classes in the house until Joseph Wesley Young, the founder of Hollywood, donated land in 1922 for Hollywood Central Elementary School.  When the school opened later that year, it served 37 students, but Hollywood experienced phenomenal growth and by 1925 the community's school children numbered 900.

Fort Lauderdale’s population also continued to grow, and in 1922 the concept of "Ward Schools" (neighborhood schools) developed.  One such school was South Side Elementary School which was constructed in 1922 on South Andrews Avenue.  The building is still in existence today and efforts are underway by the City of Fort Lauderdale to preserve it.

In 1923 Blanche G. Ely was named principal of what was then called the “Pompano Colored School.” When the wood framed school was destroyed in a hurricane, a new school was constructed on the south side of Northwest Sixth Street. The 11th grade was added and, through Principal Ely's efforts, students completing that grade were prepared to proceed directly to colleges.

South Side Elementary - 1922

Student achievement has long been a goal in Broward County Public Schools. In fact, during the 1922-23 school year, Broward County schools led the state of Florida in the number of students who graduated from grammar school and those that graduated from high school. In addition, 10 of the 20 seniors graduating from high school that year had already made plans to attend college while others planned to make arrangements prior to the opening of colleges in the fall. In 1923, Fort Lauderdale High also established its first Honor Society.

The controversy surrounding the teaching of evolution in schools came to a head in 1923. Broward County’s Board of Public Instruction and trustees felt that although the Bible’s account of creation should not be taught, it also should not be undermined. Teachers would not be advocates of evolution – neutrality would be the rule.

In mid-1925, Superintendent James S. Rickards released a report to the community documenting the amazing growth of Broward County Public Schools. From 1899 to 1925, two one-room schools had grown into a school system that consisted of 11 modern schools valued at $380,000 serving 3,000 students. Although it may have sounded amazing at the time, it was only the beginning.

America had discovered Fort Lauderdale. During a 10-month period in 1925, Fort Lauderdale's population tripled – from 5,625 to 15,915. This increase in population, coupled with Hollywood's soaring population, led to an increase in the construction of canals, roads, homes and commercial buildings. It also had a major impact on the school system.

In July of 1923, the School Board awarded a contract for the construction of a new  “Colored School” in northwest Fort Lauderdale. Land for the new school was purchased from Fort Lauderdale pioneers Frank and Ivy Stranahan for one dollar.  In 1910, the old school was torn down and classes were held at a local meeting hall until the new school opened its doors in 1924. When high school classes were added, the school was the only high school for Black students in the entire county. In 1930, the two-story concrete structure, which had cost $13,954.24 to build, was named Dillard High School and surrounding buildings on the property were named Dillard Elementary School. Dr. James Hardy Dillard was a prominent philanthropist and educator who dedicated his life to improving rural schools for Black students.

Dillard High Drill Team

The school became overcrowded, so in 1950 a new Dillard High School was built on NW 11th Street. The old school was re-named Clarence C. Walker Elementary. Mr. Walker was a respected educator who served as the third principal of Dillard High. Later, a new elementary school, built adjacent to the property, was named for Mr. Walker. Since 1990, the original Dillard High School has housed The Old Dillard Museum. Owned by Broward County Public Schools and governed by the Old Dillard Foundation Board of Trustees, the museum features exhibits focused on Black history in Broward County and serves as a center for cultural events.  In February, 1991, the museum was placed on the National Historic Register.

Portable Classrooms North Side Elementary circa 1926

By 1925, another new school had been constructed on the south end of Dania. First called Dania-Liberia School, because it served both communities, it was later re-named Attucks in honor of Crispus Attucks, the first Black man to shed blood in the Revolutionary War. Additional buildings were added at the site in 1955-56 to house music, physical education, home economics, industrial arts and agriculture programs. More additions were constructed in 1960 including a gymnasium, cafetorium and library. Attucks became a middle school in 1968.

As the population increased, construction of schools also increased. Among the new schools opening were Oakland Park Elementary School in January, 1925; Deerfield Beach Elementary in 1926 and North Side Elementary in 1927.   The historic core of Oakland Park Elementary School remains today surrounded by new buildings.  These three schools are among the oldest schools in Broward County utilized today.

Portable classrooms are not new to Broward County.  In order to accommodate a rapidly growing student population, portable classrooms were already in use in Broward in 1926.

National PTA is the oldest child advocacy organization in the country and, in 1930, the Broward County Council of PTA’s was established.  The group’s first president was Cora Reed.