Conclusion
Within a very few years, as City dwellers began buying new homes in anticipation of the railroad tunnels that would make commuting realistic, the Union School would become as overcrowded as its predecessor had been. Even with the second building on Nicholai Street, which effectively doubled its capacity in 1910, the school would remain overcrowded until the 1920s, when East Street School and the Junior/Senior High School were constructed.
This growth in demand should not overshadow the magnitude of change which the 1898 Union School represented for Hicksville. The building was large for the immediate needs of the day (i.e., only 60% of the rooms were used at first). Its large window area, compact design, and clever touches (e.g., the convertible classrooms/assembly area) were up-to-date for a rural school, and as built, it was a rather handsome building. The School Board members were entitled to indulge in a little mutual back-slapping after the dedication ceremony. If only they had been willing to cut short those declamations...
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