Wills Point city officials under Mayor Thomas J. McKain established a public school system in 1886. Classes began in a rented building on North Fourth Street with Professor W.I. Cowles as the first superintendent. In 1891, trustees purchased 6.1 acres of the homesite of pioneer area settler John O' Neal. The property became the nucleus of the district's later growth, and several school buildings have been constructed on the site through the years. Over 20 early rural schools have consolidated with Wills Point, an independent school district since 1913. For over a century, the local schools have been a focal point and a source of pride for the community.