Information about early schools in the town is not available; but a newspaper, The Cave City Herald, records in 1888 that “Our school trustees have levied a tax for the purpose of erecting a schoolhouse and although the tax will be somewhat heavy on the people after the loss of the former school building, they should not complain for having to spend their money for such a good noble purpose. The district can well afford to spend $1,500 or $2,000 for a first-class schoolhouse and not miss the amount, while it cannot afford to build a small shanty in which to instruct its youth. If we are to have a schoolhouse at all, let us have one worthy of ourselves; if we cannot have this, let us shut up and say no more about the matter. Prof. Woodson moved his school into the Presbyterian Church immediately after the schoolhouse burned and is having a fine school. The Professor is brim full of energy, deservedly enjoys the reputation of one of the best teachers in the state.”

If the schoolhouse on Broadway, seen in some old photographs, is the one which the citizens chose to build, certainly they heeded the advice of the editor to build a “first class school-house.” The Cave City school system evolved from wooden one-room schoolhouses scattered throughout the county into a large wooden two-story grade and high school in Cave City. Students that completed the eighth grade in the county and in town then had the option of entering high school in Cave City.

This two-story frame structure was in use until 1923, when it was replaced by a two-story brick school built on the corner of 31W and Broadway on land donated to the school. A gymnasium was added later and was located between what is now a dental laboratory and the old Coats’ DX Garage on North Broadway. In 1947 it was moved to the school grounds.

With the advent of a bona fide arena, Cave City High School Basketball began. Small town social activities during the 1920’s through the 50’s revolved around the diversions of church, family, radio, and the local school sports programs – particularly the local boys’ successes or failures on the athletic field. Men would gather at the barbershop and sing the praises of Cave City Tiger local sports heroes.

Cave City in the 1920’s boasted a population in the 900’s, two banks, a movie theater, and a tremendous school gym that could seat nearly half of the town’s population. From 1923 until 1950, Cave City’s population almost doubled, but the gym could still seat nearly 25 % of the townspeople.

The Cave City School District continued to operate in this edifice until 1950 when it consolidated with the Horse Cave High School District to form Caverna Independent Schools. The district was the first in Kentucky to cross county lines, Barren and Hart. The brick building was used as a junior high school for the entire district and an elementary school for Cave City until 1957, when the Caverna High School Facilities were erected on 31W between the two towns, and the junior high classes were moved there. In 1972, the Cave City buildings were abandoned and the elementary school merged with Horse Cave in the new Caverna Elementary School at the north city limits. At the same time the Caverna Central Office was moved into the brick house at the corner of the new elementary school property. In 1973 the old brick building fell victim to fire.