Graham School, located at Graham and 7th NW, was one of the three original schools in 1884. It was known as Third Ward. The land was located ¼ mile northwest of Paris. When the land was sold to the Reverend James Graham, he built a small frame house and established Paris Female Institute. He ran the school for approximately 16 years.

In 1884, the Paris Public School System began and Graham School formally opened as a public school on September 15. In February the county deeded the property to the city as the school was within the corporate city limits. The first principal was J. C. Hunt.

On May 20, 1932, the Parent Teacher Association requested that the name of the school be changed to Graham School in honor of James Graham. It never lost its connotation as Graham School, even though for awhile it was know as Third Ward.

The city council had spent a lot of money on the building of Graham School. By 1915, the building was too small and was showing its age. They built a new building, but the Great Fire of 1916 destroyed it. More money was authorized in 1917, and the new Graham was constructed on the same site. This building was in use until December 1968 when the school closed. The students transferred to Thomas S. Justiss Elementary School.

The property was sold to the Salvation Army Corporation for $10,000. Industrial Self-Storage currently is located at the site which Graham School occupied for more than 100 years.