History

The earliest inhabitants of the area now occupied by Cypress-Fairbanks ISD probably never dreamed that the picturesque landscape marked by winding creeks and fertile fields would one day give way to a maze of concrete highways meandering through master-planned subdivisions. During the late 1800s, rice and dairy farming communities with one-room schoolhouses began to emerge. Two such schools of significance were located in Cypress and an area called "Gun Island" by the wagon trains because of the gumbo mud which was common during the spring season and an obstacle to travel. In 1896, C. W. Hohl founded the school in "Gum Island," later renamed Fairbanks, which includes an area where district schools Bane, Dean, and Holbrook are now located. The first class of 12 students was taught by Miss Best. The people of Cypress built Big Cypress Schoolhouse, No. 2. Dist. 6, also referred to as "the Cypress School," in 1884.