Fulda ES (formerly Fulda Dependent School) History
Opened: 1946
Closed: 1994
Fulda American Dependent School was one of the original schools opened in Germany after World War II. When the high school was built, the school became Fulda American Elementary School.
Fulda was a US Army airfield, which was used as a helicopter base until the early 1990s. It was located at the strategically important Fulda Gap, which was viewed by the West as a probable place for a Soviet tank attack because the potential deployment area for Soviet forces in Thuringia to the east offered the shortest route to the important Rhein-Main area to the west. Therefore, many transport, observation, and combat helicopters were stationed in Fulda.
For the first years, the school had grades one through eight. Later, grades nine and ten were added. High school students attended Frankfurt High School and were five-day dorm students.
The principal of the school for the 1954-55 school year was Walter Power, and there were 111 students in grades K–8.
The school was on Down Barracks, the former home of the Blackhorse Regiment, an armored-cavalry (tank) unit. The next building was completed in 1975 and consisted of twenty-five classrooms, a media center, and a cafeteria/gymnasium. The school had special area classrooms for art, industrial arts, music, science, and typing. When this building was completed, the school had grades K–10. Classrooms could be enlarged for team teaching and large group instruction.
In the 1981-82 school year, there were 680 pupils in grades K–9, and the school was referred to as Fulda American Elementary/Junior High School. There were forty-one staff members for that school year. Assigned staff to aid classroom teachers included a counselor, media specialist, learning development specialists, reading improvement specialists, school nurse, and speech therapist.
A new twenty-two classroom elementary school was opened in August of 1983. By the 1987-88 school year, there were 630 students in grades K–6. Seventh through tenth graders moved to the high school in 1983.
For the final year of the school, there were 615 students in grades K–6.