The history of Hickson

 The Village of Hickson was founded in 1876 when the town of Strathallen was bypassed by the new Port Dover and Lake Huron Railway, which went in east of the anticipated location. A new village was created at the whistle-stop, and Strathallan slowly faded away as community members relocated, along with a few houses moved by the milk factory. The new village was named after Sir Joseph Hickson, the general manager of the Grand Trunk Railway, who never saw the village in his lifetime.

Humble beginnings and rapid growth

The current school was opened as East Zorra Senior Public School in 1959. The building had three classrooms and modern washrooms. Students from regional elementary schools came to EZSPS for grades 7, 8 & 9. An addition was added in 1965, adding 8 more classrooms, including a science lab, two more washrooms, a Gymnasium and updated HVAC including a Boiler. The building, now known as Hickson Central School, received two more additions in 1968, adding additional classrooms including modern kindergarten rooms, a woodshop, home-economics room, and two more student washrooms on the west end of the building, as well as a new Library and a hexagonal learning pod, composed of six wedge-shaped rooms with modular retractable walls. The building would be added to most recently in 2008 with the addition of a new larger gymnasium, including a stage and retrofitted change-rooms. Portables were added on an almost bi-annual basis in the late 2010’s, and the school’s yard and parking areas were updated in 2021, including increased staff parking and accessibility improvements.

Our School Today

Since 2015, Hickson Central PS has seen a dramatic increase in the student population, reaching over 620 students in 2021, and becoming the largest elementary school in Oxford County. Most of this growth can be attributed to new residential development on the north shore of the Pittock Resevoir in the city of Woodstock, from which many students are bussed to Hickson. Now effectively an ‘urban school in a rural setting’, Hickson Central PS boasts a vibrant and diverse student population; caring, collaborative and motivated staff; and a wonderfully supportive community.