Amador County's first high school was erected on this site in 1903 by the Ione Academy, a private corporation. The original two-story frame structure, built at a cost of $2,287, housed the school until 1939. As enrollment grew steadily, a major building program began: the original structure was remodeled into a one-story building, four other buildings were added—three of brick veneer and one of stucco—and the project was completed in 1941 with the finishing of the wood frame shop building. The current gymnasium was erected in 1953. The last major building program was completed in the spring of 1975, when the new shop and the academic center were finished. The academic center is a replica of the remodeled original building, which was destroyed by fire on November 26, 1972.