Parma in Cuyahoga County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Parma's First High School
Photographed by Craig Doda, March 7, 2026
1. Parma's First High School Marker
A bond issue passed by the voters of Parma and Parma Heights Township in 1919 funded the construction of Parma's first high school. It was located at this site on Ridge Road, south of Ridgewood Drive (then Bean Road) and was dedicated in October 1921. Charles W. Bates designed the school as a single story building, but two years later a second story was added. The first graduating class in 1922 consisted of six students, two boys and four girls. In 1928, the land behind the school became the football field. The Parma High School building became a junior high in 1937 and then in the 1950s, Ridge Road Elementary. From 1962 to 2006 the old high school was the Parma City Schools' Board of Education. The building was demolished in October 2010.
Erected 2010 by Parma Senior High School Alumni Association; Parma Senior High School Classes Of 1958 & 1962; Lee Bailey, Ed Sarian, Anthony Demarco, Rebecca Wiesler ; The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 100-18.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Sports. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection
this page online
Location. 41° 22.894′ N, 81° 44.093′ W. Marker is in Parma, Ohio, in Cuyahoga County. It is at the intersection of Ridge Road (Ohio Route 3) and Day Drive, on the right when traveling south on Ridge Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6728 Ridge Rd, Cleveland OH 44129, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Cleveland, on the Lake Erie Shore, and in the Western Reserve. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Stearns Homestead (approx. half a mile away); In memoriam (approx. 1½ miles away); Parma Heights Cemetery (approx. 1½ miles away); First Brick Rural Road in United States (approx. 1½ miles away);
Photographed by Craig Doda, March 7, 2026
2. Parma's First High School Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on March 22, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 22, 2026, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 20 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 22, 2026, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
