Overcrowding at College High in the mid-1960s led to the building of Sooner High across town in the east side school complex south of Sooner Park and about a half-mile east of Madison Boulevard. The new high school teams were the Spartans, with Kelly Green and Old Gold the official colors.

The new 134,660 square foot school at 5900 S.E. Baylor Drive included a 1,019-seat auditorium. The school opened in 1966-67 with grades 10 and 11, going to grades 10-12 the next year. The building cost $2,027,685 and preparing and landscaping the site cost an additional $112,682.

The school saw the first of many portable buildings in 1972 when Driver's Education was added to the curriculum. In 1980 six classrooms were added at the end of the school's southeast wing, another ten rooms were added to the northeast wing in 1999, and seven more classrooms were added in 2009 to make the first-floor classrooms into a closed loop.

The cross-town rivalry between the Sooner Spartans and the College High Wildcats was intense. Each side would burn the other's mascot before their big football game. Sooner was known for innovative instructional methods and outstanding music and drama departments, with school musicals and other productions becoming much-anticipated community events.

It wasn't long after Sooner opened, however, that discussion of consolidating the two high schools arose. After approaching 2,000 high school students and a total district enrollment of almost 9,000 in the mid-1960s, enrollments began to decline as the Baby Boom waned.

Declining enrollments finally forced the issue and the school board voted for consolidation. Fifteen years after its inception, Sooner High graduated its last class in 1982 and was merged with College High. The building became Bartlesville Mid-High, housing grades 9 and 10.

A 1993 bond issue allocated $120,902 for thermostat and sprinkler upgrades, renovation of the auditorium and stage, and a new telephone system. A 1998 bond issue funded the expansion of the library by 40% and the construction of a $1.1 million addition to the northeast wing of the building, adding four science labs, six classrooms, and two restrooms. The 14,400 square foot new addition was designed by Ambler Architects and McAnaw Construction was the general contractor, with subcontracts to Farris Air Conditioning Specialties, Hodges Electric Co., Hoppock Excavating, Ace Glass, Cramer Concrete, Muskogee Masonry, and mill work by Applied Visions. It was dedicated on January 14, 2000. The 1998 bond also provided for repairs to the closed-loop piping system at the school, and $123,644 of interest from that bond was used in 2001 to install air conditioning in the gymnasiums and locker rooms.

In May, 2007 a bond issue was approved that included a one-story addition on the east connecting the northeast and southeast wings to enclose the courtyard space, adding seven classrooms with the option of a second story addition in the future. In September 2007 the Bartlesville School Board approved a contract with Ambler Architects to provide architectural services to the District for the future Mid-High Addition. In December 2007 Boldt Construction, Inc. was contracted to provide construction management services for the project. In July 2008 a guaranteed maximum price of $1,629,109.64 for completion of the classroom addition was approved with a completion date of Feb. 25, 2009.

In 2008 the courtyard was improved with concrete walks and tables with benches for an outdoor learning environment. The parking lot was resurfaced in the summer of 2013.

In September 2013 voters approved a bond issue to relocate grades 9 and 10 from this site to new additions at Bartlesville High School. Madison Middle School relocated to the Mid-High/Sooner High site in June 2015, with the site receiving over $1.2 million in renovations:

• secure visitor entrance into office created east of main entrance

• former shop area on north side renovated into a commons

• rooftop HVAC units added to improve climate control in 30 older classrooms

• 600 older lockers replaced

• some interior finishes updates

As part of a $1.7 million grant for Phillips 66 Innovation Labs for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) courses across all three secondary sites, three older science labs and a large divided classroom were renovated into computer labs, workrooms, and a fabrication room for an expanding Project Lead the Way program in Gateway to Technology.

A 2016 bond issue allowed the auditorium seating to be replaced, stage repaired, and audiovisual systems updated. The choir room was relocated to former locker room space and the orchestra moved to the former choir room. Additional music practice rooms and storage were created from former locker room space. Both of the gymnasiums received updates to their floors, paint, and lighting. The cafeteria was repainted, and the main office was renovated.

In 2022, a new building was constructed east of the softball field, between Madison and Hoover Elementary, as an indoor practice facility for softball and golf.

Map & Table

• Early Schools

• District Beginnings

• Garfield

• Horace Mann (ESC)

• Washington

• Highland Park

• Jefferson

• Original High School

• Douglass

• Lincoln

• Central

• McCaleb / Roosevelt

• McKinley

• Carnegie

• Doenges Stadium

• Shawnee Field (Transportation & Maintenance)

• Limestone

• Bartlesville High School (College High)

• Buck Creek

• Jane Phillips

• Southview

• Will Rogers

• Oak Park

• Ranch Heights

• Wilson

• Original Madison

• Hoover

• Wayside

• Madison (Mid-High; Sooner High)

• Richard Kane