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About
About
Est. 1903
Humble beginnings
Est. 1903
At a Glance
A town rich with farms, history and diversity. Here you can see fields of potatoes, grapes, feed corn, wheat, peas, alfalfa, seed crops and beans. Agriculture is the driving force behind this small community located in the heart of the Central Washington.
History
The Central Basin plateau was settled in the late 1800's by immigrants of Russian-German ancestry who homesteaded in the area and farmed dryland wheat. The Milwaukee Railroad arrived in the early 1900's and attracted additional settlers, including Doc Harris who established a drug and sundries store with physician services in Warden about 1905. The town was named after his son Ward. The Town of Warden was officially incorporated June 28, 1910. By 1917 the population of Warden reached 300. Electricity arrived in 1939, but the town's population declined through WWII.
In 1945 the beginning of the Columbia Basin Project would bring irrigation water from Grand Coulee Dam to irrigate over 530,000 acres of arid but fertile soil. In 1948 the federal government started selling government-owned farm units on the Columbia Basin Project to qualified applicants with preference to veterans. By 1954 the East Low Canal was finished. As a result of the project, the population of Warden grew from 322 in 1950 to 949 in 1960 to 1,639 in 1990 and has continued to grow to roughly ~2,500 as of 2020 census data*.
City Facts
Climate
Warden has a semi-arid climate.
Significant Sites
Half a mile north of town is the Lind Coulee archeological site, dating to about 9000 years ago.
Location
Warden is located at 46°57'59"N, 119°2'35"W; in Grant County between Moses Lake and Othello along Highway 17, just off Highway 170. The elevation of Warden is 1,305'.
Our District
170 Employees
Many employees are graduates of Warden School District.
Reach
The District encompasses approximately 200 square miles.
3 Schools
All school buildings are located on a single campus, which provides for a sense of family and community
- 1 elementary school (Pre K-5)
- 1 middle school (6-8)
- 1 high school (9-12)
Points of Interest
- There is a high retention rate for district employees, and our teachers have an average of 8.7 years of teaching experience
- Over the last five years, the district has seen a steady increase in student enrollment
- The district has a high level of parent and community involvement, demonstrated by the successful passage of previous levies
Our Students
943
Students Preschool - 12th Grade
0.2%
0.2%
0.6%
77.1%
1.4%
20.5%
29.5%
75.4%
22.4%
15.4%
80.3%