Spencer Brook School opened in 1858 as the first of 67 rural schools organized in Isanti County, Minnesota, and it was also the first school in the county to conduct lessons solely in the English language. With vacations scheduled around potato picking, Christmas, and springtime mud, classes were initially held in private buildings. By 1874 the need for a schoolhouse had become apparent, and this land was purchased from W. Higbie as a school site. Lumber was obtained from E.G. and Gilbert Clough, and carpenter John Satterstrom was hired as the builder. With the help of neighbors, Satterstrom completed this building in 1877. John Stadden, the school's first treasurer, met Spencer Brook's operating costs with patrons subscriptions ranging from 30¢ to $1.50, adding to funds accumulated from a special tax levy. Part of those funds covered the salary of the school's first teacher, Miss Haskell. A total of 301 pupils attended Spencer Brook School from 1895 until it closed in 1945, though enrollment from 1858 until 1895 is not known. The initial Spencer Brook School Board in 1869 consisted of Louis Blomquist as director, William J. Evers as clerk, and E.G. Clough as treasurer.