The Lutz Community was named for W.P. Lutz and was originally called Lutz Junction. In 1900, stagecoaches ran from Tampa to Dade City and mail was delivered by horseback until 1911. Two railroads came through Lutz in the early 1900's: the Tampa Northern Line to Brooksville and the Tampa Gulf Coast Line to Tarpon Springs. The Tampa Gulf Coast Line was owned by the Lutz family. These early trains turned around in the area known as Bullard Park, which is now the site of the Lutz Branch Library.

THE FIRST LUTZ SCHOOL
The first school in Lutz was a one-room frame schoolhouse located where the old brick building is today. It was built by the North Tampa Land Company in 1910. In 1912, 37 students, first through eighth grade, attended Lutz School. They all learned together in the one-room schoolhouse. Eighteen year-old Miss Callie Berry was the principal and a teacher… and she earned a whopping $30.00 per month!

Very few modern conveniences were available at this time. There school had no indoor plumbing and certainly was not air-conditioned. There were no school buses back then so children and teachers rode horses or wagons or walked to school. Some students traveled up to 3-½ miles to attend school!

THE SECOND LUTZ SCHOOL
A hurricane destroyed the original frame schoolhouse. A second frame schoolhouse was completed around 1921. Mr. John Crilly, a current Lutz resident, attended this school. He recalls a two-room building with four classes in both rooms. A large divider that came down from the ceiling separated the rooms and on special occasions, the divider was removed and classes were combined. Two outhouses were nearby; one was for the boys, the other for the girls. Mr. Crilly also recalls a hand pump in the front of the school where students pumped their own water for drinking or washing.

THE THIRD LUTZ SCHOOL
The third school, which is the one we all know today as the Old Lutz School House, was built around 1929 on Hwy. 41. The first mascot for this school was the "Longhorns"; in the 1960s the students voted to change that to the "Love Bugs.” The original school colors were maroon and gold, but they also were later changed -- by a student vote -- to blue and gray.

Years ago, Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Newberger attended this school. They recall that the upstairs was originally an auditorium and the lower level was used as classrooms. As the enrollment grew, the upper floor was divided into classrooms for junior high students, while the first floor remained elementary level.

Modern conveniences appeared with the new brick school. Probably the most welcome -- bathrooms with indoor plumbing replaced the outhouses! Mr. Albert Brant drove the first school bus and his wife, Maude, served hot meals in the first lunchroom. The milk served in the cafeteria came from the Brant's cow! Air-conditioning was still many years away, so classroom windows were opened for ventilation. This posed a problem when trains came roaring through Lutz; instruction came to a stop until the train passed by – naturally, the students enjoyed this brief recess! The hand pump was replaced with a large water tower for all the school’s water needs. Mr. Cameron MacManus, another local resident, remembers swimming in the water tower after a day of playing. Needless to say, he was rarely thirsty at school!

This third building functioned as an actual school until 1976. It was officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places on August 15, 1996 and is one of the oldest school buildings in Hillsborough County.

THE CURRENT LUTZ SCHOOL
Lutz School has seen many changes over the last century. The buildings that house our current Lutz School were begun in1947, with the last major addition completed in 1988. At the time of renovation, the students voted to change the mascot to the "Lutz Leopards." Due to significant population growth in northern Hillsborough County, students in sixth grade and higher were moved into regional middle and high schools. During the 2002-2003 school year, additional renovations were completed to serve even more area children. The 2008-2009 school year ushered in a beautiful new wing of 12 classrooms, as well as a covered pavilion - named in honor of the Calder Family and graciously dedicated by them to Principal Mary Fernandez. The 2018-2019 school year started the expansion of Lutz Elementary School to Lutz K-8, which is now fully implemented and serving pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade students.

Although the Lutz area continues to expand, it still maintains its hometown feel -- and Lutz K-8 reflects that same caring, family atmosphere. Come see for yourself!