Valera began school in 1904 and was designated Common School District #52 in 1911.  The first school building was a frame building.  The first teachers were Mrs. Julia Beall, Amos Cargill, Miss Purcell, and Mrs. Alice Cobb.  Some of the early trustees were W. P. Blackwell, D. L. Parrott, Gilbert Webb, Mr. Berryman, Ethan Rodden, and W. A. Carroll. New Castle consolidated with Valera sometime before 1911.

The first graduating class was in 1915, with Lucille Pauley, Pearl Mitchell, Ola Griffis, Preston Sparks, and Roy Landrum as graduates.  Sometime before World War I, a new brick building was built, but the school had grown to the point where a second building was built in front (east) of the original one; before 1924 the original building was used as a grade school and the second one as high school.

Part of Loss Creek School and part of Water Valley School consolidated with Valera in 1919; Home Creek consolidating with Valera in 1928.  Some of the teachers at Valera in the 1930’s were Willie Lane Brown, Nettie Newman Singleton, Mrs. George Pauley, Mrs. George Keese, Mrs. Pearl Mitchell Simmons, John Banister, Lucy James Rodden, Mary Wilson, Miss Nettie Landrum, Zula Landrum, and Eugenia Pauley.  The school building and teacherage burned in 1934, leaving one building which was added to, and the school continued.  This building is still used today for community gatherings.  Valera, Central, Bowen, and White Chapel grouped together in 1936 to form the Centennial Rural High School District.  The elementary students consolidated in the early 1940’s with Centennial.