46 School Road
Marshall, NC 28753
(828)649-2636
Walnut School in 1919, was an elementary school with grades 1-7 located in a frame building where the Presbyterian Church now stands. That year, the eighth grade which was the first year of high school at that time was added. The school moved into the structure that has previously housed the Bell Institute and added a ninth grade in 1920. The tenth grade was added in 1921-1922 and construction on a new frame building was begun. The first class was graduated be the end of the 1923-1924 school year.
In the fall of 1931, the school building burned destroying practically all equipment and records. The property was graded in the spring of 1932 and construction on the present building was began. Students began moving in during the fall of 1932 and the class of 1933 was the first to graduate from the new building.
In the fall of 1962, Walnut High School was consolidated with Marshall High School on the Island at Marshall. The seventh and eighth grade from Marshall was moved to Walnut and remained there until Madison High School was opened in 1974. The Marshall students then moved back to the Island at Marshall and Walnut remained a K-8 school until Madison Middle School consolidated the 6-8 grades in 1992. Since that time the school has provided for a K-5 student body.
In the Fall of 1998 the school building burned for the second and final time in its history destroying everything at the school except the lunchroom and 3 classrooms. The school is presently in operation with 10 mobile class units and the surviving portion of the school.
The school reported a June 2000 enrollment of 105 students. Mrs. Willa Wyatt is the principal at Walnut School for the 2000-2001 school year.