Thompkins Elementary School at 1300 W. Mill Rd. Land for the school was acquired and prepared in 1968 and 1969. Construction began in 1970, and the first students arrived at Thompkins in January of 1972. The cost of the school was $1.5 mil. At that time, Thompkins was not a middle school. It was an elementary school for students in grades 1-6. In the fall of 1972, students in grades K-8 began attending Thompkins. From 1981 to 1984, the school continued to grow as 7th and 8th grade students from Stringtown began attending Thompkins. During the 1984-1985 school year, Thompkins officially became the middle school we know today, housing students in grades 6-8.