Standish was a planned utopian community, laid out in 1897. As many know, the best plans do not always come to fruition. This was the case in Standish, and the school district was not created until 1906. While the formation of the school was slow to start, that was not the case for the residents to build a schoolhouse. That summer the Wilbur Brothers were hired to construct a $1,300 school facility.
It should be noted the Wilbur Brothers also built the Honey Lake and Missouri Bend schools, and all three structures are similar in design. Honey Lake school has been converted into a residence and no longer recognizable. Missouri Bend is still intact, and for awhile it has been used as a private school.*
After World War II, rural schools faced many challenges. Thus, unification was the term of the day. On July 1, 1951, the residents of the Bridgeport, Soldier Bridge and Standish School Districts agreed to consolidate and form the Shaffer Union School District.
*The abandoned Standish School was torn down in the 1960s.