During the early 1960s four school districts, Beaver Crossing, Utica, Waco (including Thayer who had merged with Waco at an earlier date) began discussion about consolidating into one larger district. In the fall of 1967 those discussions came to fruition with the creation of Centennial Public School, “Communities United for a Brighter Tomorrow.” For several years students were bussed to Waco or Beaver Crossing for elementary school and to Utica for high school. Students, K-12, were housed in one building following the completion of a new school building in 1976. In 1986 the school district of Gresham and part of the Cordova district joined Centennial to create a school district that covers approximately 316 square miles. The district is located primarily in eastern York and western Seward counties with some parcels of land from Butler and Polk counties. From its inception, the patrons of Centennial have been proponents of school excellence.