Terwilliger Elementary was once a cow pasture on the outskirts of Gainesville, Florida. Built in 1964 to serve the demands of the rapidly growing western suburbs, Terwilliger was named for Myra Terwilliger, long-time principal at J.J. Finley.

In 1987 parents and community volunteers built Kidspace, a natural wood playground that was an attraction for children from all over north central Florida.

Unfortunately, the cost of maintenance and growing concerns for student safety resulted in the dismantling of Kidspace in 1999. A new playground was built in 2000.

 

 

 

Remodeling and new construction was completed in 1995 to accomodate the over 700 children that now attend this school. Included in the new Art, Music and PE building was Alachua County's second Science Lab. Equipped with state of the art equipment for elementary science, this lab is staffed with two part-time teachers and provides hands-on science activities weekly for students in all grades.