Hines School began in 1840 in a small log cabin near the southeast corner of our current Lake and Knoxville streets.

Up until 1831, Chief Black Hawk and his tribe had lived on that land. Later, it became farmland owned by Mr. John Hines.

Pioneers living in what is now the Knolls subdivision constructed the school by hand with logs dragged to the site by a team of oxen.

The log school had benches, two small windows, and a stove which supplied all the heat for the school. In the winter, children wore coats, scarves, and gloves to keep warm.

The log school was replaced in 1852 by a brick building on the Fulton property across the road and south of the old site. Children carried water to the school from a neighbor's well.

The third school was a frame building built in 1872 on land donated by Jacob Frye. It was larger, had seats and desks, and an old stove in the center of the room. This school was destroyed by fire in 1890. A neighbor, Sam Fulton, opened his home to students until another school could be built that same year.

Hines outgrew its one room building in 1910. An acre of land adjoining the old school boundaries was purchased from Laura Hines. The building was enlarged to two rooms with a playroom in the basement. Later, two rooms and an annex were attached. Still later, a two-story brick school was built. Currently on this site is the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Knoxville Avenue.

In the 1940's, a new brick building was constructed at the present location. It remained a kindergarten through eighth grade school until 1986. Hines now serves children from kindergarten through fourth grade.

In 2010, a geothermal heating/cooling system was added to the existing building.