IKM-Manning school board advised to close Manilla building

History of schools in Manilla

The first school building in Manilla opened 1889 and had four classrooms.

By 1891, 252 school aged children lived in the Manilla area.

Manilla High School’s first graduating class was in 1904, and by 1907 the school was growing quickly.

In 1991, Manilla joined schools with Irwin and Kirkman to form IKM. The high school and elementary were both in Manilla with Irwin having a middle school and an elementary school.

For several years, IKM and Manning were in a whole-grade sharing agreement, and on April 6, 2010, voters in both school districts overwhelmingly approved, by a vote of 873 yes to 66 no, the reorganization of the IKM and Manning school districts into one new district. The consolidated IKM-Manning School District began with the 2011-12 school year.