The Story of Leslie Junior High School - 1927-2020

It has had different names and changed shape over the years, but the original Leslie Junior High School building has been in constant service to students in Salem since it first opened in 1927.

Leslie’s brick and wood-paneled walls have witnessed decades of learning, fun and memories created by the thousands of students and hundreds of staff members who have passed through its halls over several decades.

2018 Bond-Funded Work

From the 2018 Bond-funded expansion and improvements at South Salem High School, the old Leslie complex was replaced with modern, seismically safer learning spaces.

The new wing at South replaced the old Leslie campus. Renovations included a new performing arts center, now known as the Rose Auditorium, expanded career and technical (vocational) education spaces and 12 new classrooms and special education spaces.

Preserving the History and Legacy of Leslie Junior High 

Salem-Keizer Public Schools worked alongside the State Historic Preservation Office to preserve some of the memories and the history of the original Leslie Junior High School building.

Several items from the building have been salvaged and were used in an educational display that was recently installed in the new wing at South Salem High School. Some of these items include bricks from the building exterior, lockers from the school's interior, a speaker from the original PA system, a theater seat and more. 

Click above to go to the documentary on YouTube.

This documentary fulfills part of Salem-Keizer Public Schools commitment to the State Historic Preservation Office to preserve the history of the original Leslie Junior High School in Salem, Oregon.