In December 1895, a celebration was held in Kippen to mark the opening of a new wing at Castlehill School. At that time, the village had two schools: Castlehill School and Kippen Public School. Castlehill School was the former Free Church School, while Kippen Public School had previously been the Parochial School and had been in use for 95 years. Infant pupils were taught at Castlehill School and subsequently transferred to Kippen Public School.
The possibility of establishing a single school for the village had been considered by the Kippen School Board for some time. On 2nd October 1893, the Board agreed that it should “now consider the question of making an addition to Castlehill School, so that pupils attending the two schools in Kippen may be accommodated in one building.”
The Board further resolved that an addition for this purpose should be made to Castlehill School. Although the option of constructing an entirely new school was discussed, the Board concluded that the cost to the ratepayers would be too high to justify this approach.
The new wing, constructed at a cost of £1,000, provided accommodation for 160 pupils. Those present at the opening included James Stirling of Garden, Chairman of the School Board, and Mr Waddell, H.M. Inspector for Stirlingshire.
The architect for the project was H. E. Clifford of Glasgow, while the majority of the tradesmen involved were from the local area:
- Mason: Thomas Syme, Kippen
- Joiner: James Dick, Buchlyvie
- Plumber: R. Fraser, Stirling
- Slater: D. McGregor, Kippen
- Painter: James Walls, Stirling
Records from Kippen Primary School, kindly donated by the Kippen Heritage Group, document the unification of the two schools. Admission registers for both schools exist up to 1894, after which the transfer of pupils is recorded in a new, consolidated admission register.
ED/KN2/1/1 – Kippen Public School admission register, 1879 
ED/KN2/1/2 – Castlehill School admission register, 1879 
ED/KN2/1/3 – Kippen-Public-School-admission-register-1894
