Primero School District is located in the southwest corner of Las Animas County west of Trinidad, Colorado. The district is approximately twenty miles wide and fifteen miles long with a total area of 300 square miles. The Purgatoire River and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains are two distinctive geographical features of the district. The population is primarily located near the Purgatoire on Colorado Highway 12 which runs parallel to the river. The remainder of the population live in the surrounding canyons.
Many retired people who live in the canyons and in the Stonewall area of the district today have come here to enjoy the hunting, fishing, climate and some of the most picturesque views in the United States.
Around 1861 the area of Purgatoire Valley consisted of dozens of small settlements, including many that exist today: Los Baros(Sedundo), Medina(the site of Primero School), Sarcillo, La Junta(Weston), Vigil, Torres, and many others. These settlements are part of the Primero School District today.
Primero high school began in 1916 in a cement building with 20 students attending. At the same time there were more than a dozen small schools serving students in the area now called Primero School District. Until the 1917-1918 school year there was no high school curriculum at Primero. Students who wished to further their education after the eighth grade made arrangements to attend school in Trinidad. The first graduates from Primero High School consisted of four students and took place in 1921. A picture of the graduating class hangs in the foyer near the main office at Primero School along with other graduating class pictures from then to present.
In 1917 an arrangement was made with the Colorado and Wyoming (C&W) Railroad Company to transport students from Valdez and Segundo to school at Primero. The train transported an average of 120 students each way. The train crew, consisting of the conductor and two brakemen were the only adults in charge of the students who ranged in age from six to twenty years of age. In May 1929 the district decided to discontinue train transportation and began bussing students.
Primero school was moved to the YMCA in Valdez and in 1955-1956 the was moved again to a new site between Segundo and Weston and the name of the school was changed from Primero High School to Primero Union High School. In 1958 the districts were reorganized and the name was changed back to Primero High School. The smaller districts encompassed by the reorganization included: Zamora, Hicks, Torres, Tercio, Stonewall, Vigil, Medina, Sarcillo, Weston, Madrid, Segundo, Valdez, Wet Canyon, Molina Canyon, and Wild Cat Creek. This reorganization increased the student population for the Primero District from 225 in 1957-58 to 678 in 1958-59. The all time record high estimated in Average Daily Attendance was in 1923 with 730 students.
In 1960 the high school building was totally destroyed by fire. While construction was progressing on the current building, classes were once again held at the YMCA in Valdez. The building used today was completed in 1962. Student population declined drastically after the closing of the Frederick Mine located in Valdez in late 1960. The junior and senior high schools were combined in 1963. The school was then renamed Primero Junior-Senior High School. The elementary school, which included Kindergarten through sixth grades, located in Weston was eventually closed and relocated to the Junior-Senior High School building as well.
In 2005 a mil levy override was sent to the voters who voted yes in a two to one margin and a $10,000,000.00 bond was secured. The current school was remodeled; new geothermal HVAC system, new wastewater system, remodeled classrooms, new gym floor, state of the art all weather track just to name a few. New staff housing was also added as well as a community center. The current school now includes Preschool through twelfth grades. Primero provides free lunch to it's faculty and students as well as free breakfast for elementary students.
Primero School District is a member of South Central Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES).
