Its first year of operation was the 1956-1957 school year. Eastwood began with 532 students in grade 7 and 8 and had 27 faculty members, more than half were women. In Eastwood’s second year, the faculty grew from 27 to 36 members. Grade 9 was added to the building and the student body increased to 722. Dr. H Dean Evans began as principal of Eastwood in 1962. He would go on to become Superintendent of MSDWT and later, in the 1980’s to serve as the Indiana State Superintendent of Public Instruction under Governor Robert Orr. In 1972, Eastwood grows and expands by adding a new gym and other space to keep up with the times. In 1984, Eastwood was honored in Washington, D.C. by the United States Department of Education as a school that demonstrates “Excellence in Education.” Eastwood stands alone in Marion County as the student and faculty have earned the very exclusive Four-Star School Award. Eastwood has earned this award 10 times since 1993.
