Northwest Elementary originally opened in the late Fall of 1959. The school consisted of only eight classrooms. The school board at the time was unsure if the district needed a school in the northwest part of Hereford. By 1963, the town was growing rapidly, so the additions to the school were made to its current size. The original principal was Lewis Thomas. The campus served 1st grade through 6th grades. K-5 was added at a later time.

In 1980, the district changed the elementary schools to 3 Primary campuses and 3 Intermediate campuses. Northwest Elementary became Northwest Primary School and served students K-4 through 3rd grade. K-4 eventually moved to Stanton. This configuration continued until the 2007/2008 school year, when the district returned to Neighborhood schools with each elementary serving kindergarten through 5th grade.

Northwest Principals

Lewis Thomas
Roy Hartman (later became Supt)
Charles Duvall (at least 25 years)
Gary Billingsley (1982-1992
Alice Lockmiller (1992-1999)
Greg Platt (1999-2001)
David Fanning (2001-2016)
Nancy Neusch (2016- present)

Mascots

Cardinals 1959- 1992
Sparklers 1992-2001
Navigators 2001-2017
Bears 2017

Thanks to David Fanning for writing the school history.