Ernest J. King American School (formerly Sasebo Dependents “Dragon” School) History
Opened: 1948
Closed: 1988
A brand new, one-story wooden structure housing six classrooms, one auditorium, an office, a girl’s and boy’s restroom was located in the center of the still devastated Sasebo City. It was October 1948, and the building was officially named Sasebo (American) Dependents School. At the time, the US Army ran most American schools in Japan, and even Sasebo, with its naval base facilities, was no exception. Behind the main building was a Quonset Hut accommodating the seventh and eighth grades in the first half of the building and ninth through twelfth in the second half. The total enrollment for grades one through twelve started out with forty-eight students. Most were Army dependents. After the US Marines laid the foundation for present US Fleet Activities Sasebo in September 1945, the US Army came and slowly the base and the American community were established in the heart of Sasebo City. The residential areas were named Dragon Gulch, Dragon Vale, and Dragon Heights. The school was named “Dragon School.” A sign with the picture of the Dragon and the name “Dragon School” was built by the Army Engineer Corps and placed on the front of the building. As the years went by, the enrollment increased. The 1953-54 school year opened with an enrollment of 150 students, grades 1–12.
The US Army left, and the Navy took control of most of the facilities. School administration came under the Chief of Naval Personnel in October 1955. In 1956, schools located on the US Naval Bases and Air Stations were given names of US heroes of the past. The Sasebo Dependents School was named after the famed World War II Hero, Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King. Thus, the official name of Ernest J. King School, Navy 3912, FPO San Francisco, California, became effective for the 1956-57 school year. In February 1958, the entire elementary grades 1-6 abandoned the ten-year-old “Dragon School” and moved into the second floor of the “Command Post Building” (The children called it “Children’s Prison” instead of Command Post). Later, the building was renamed “Community Building,” which was more appropriate since the tenants included Bank of America, The Base Library, Shore Patrol, Stars and Stripes Office, Civilian Personnel, a Beauty Shop, Pass Office, and the Telephone Exchange. The Sasebo District Court and the Prosecutor’s Office now stand at the Old Dragon School Site. In 1966, the Department of Defense took over the dependent schools worldwide, and the Headquarters was located at Yokota Air Base. The Vietnam War increased the home ported ships for Sasebo. The population of the American Community was at its peak. There were over 870 students, kindergarten through twelfth grade in the Community Building, with over forty-five classrooms and a faculty of over fifty, comprising the entire three-story building. After the Vietnam War was over, the school population dropped considerably. In February 1979, the entire population of sixty-five students (K–12) walked to the present site.
The school was located in Sasebo, Japan, on the western shore of Kyushu, the southernmost of the main islands. Ernest J. King School was dedicated in February 1979 and located in the Housing Area. The school was a K–9 school with correspondence courses offered for grades ten through twelve. There was a staff of ten, including a culture teacher, half-time counselor, and reading improvement specialist. Additionally, there were two educational aides and two office staff. High school students could apply to attend the Canadian Academy in Kobe, Japan, which is a college prep school.
Information from internet sites, school yearbooks, DoDDS School Information Guides and DoDDS Pacific Region, 1946-1986