Rockford High School (sometimes referred to as Rockford Central High School) was the first school opened by the newly formed, citywide, school district, Rockford Public School District 205 in Rockford, Illinois. Opened in 1885, it served as a high school from 1885 until 1940, then as the administration offices of the school district until 2011. It was sold to the City of Rockford in 2014, and demolished in 2015 as part of a redevelopment project. History Prior to providing a central location for education, students attended two separate school districts, one located on the east side of the Rock River, the other on the west side. These school districts were established in 1854, and opened buildings in 1857. By 1862, each district had established a high school, creating an east-vs-west rivalry that would continue for 22 years. In 1884, the two districts united into one district, the Rockford Public School District 205. The new district built and opened a single high school located at 201 South Madison Street. The first commencement included twenty graduates in 1885. About 100 total students were enrolled in Rockford High School during its inaugural year. That number grew to 600 by 1900 and by the year 1940, that number would increase to nearly 3,600 students. By 1935, the attendance at the single high school grew too large. The board of education decided it would be best to, once again, establish two new high schools on the east and west sides of the Rock River. In September 1940, both Rockford East and Rockford West High School opened. Rockford West, located on North Rockton Avenue on the Northwest side of the city, remained open for 48 years as a high school. It now serves as West Middle School for the Rockford Public School System. Rockford East, located on Charles Street, is still a functioning high school and maintains the traditions of Rockford High School. Demolition The Rockford Board of Education voted Tuesday, August 24, 2011, to purchase the former Amcore financial headquarters building at 501 7th Street, Rockford, Illinois, at a cost of $1.825 million. The previous owner of the building was the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. This decision was taken because the board would have had to spend $1.7 million on state-mandated repairs to the building in order to keep using it. In February 2014, the district determined it was spending about $3,000 a month to