P.J. Lohr Elementary School opened its doors in the fall of 1958. The school was built on farm land that had been owned by the Glen Camp family. Glen was also one of the first custodians of P.J. Lohr School. P.J. Lohr School was named after Pearl J. Lohr, a prominent Richville area resident, who owned a farm in the area. Mr. Lohr was known as a huge proponent of quality education, thus making the name choice very appropriate.

Formal dedication of P.J. Lohr Elementary School was held on October 27, 1958. The dedication included a performance by the Perry Grade School Band and a presentation by Mr. Paul Noble of the Perry Board of Education in memory of Mr. P.J. Lohr. Present were many guests including: Mr. Paul F. Pfeiffer, Executive Head of Perry Schools, Mr. T.C. Knapp, Superintendent of the Stark County Schools and namesake of a future Perry elementary school, and Mr. Robert Carlson, the first principal of Lohr Elementary School. Mr. Kenneth J. Hartwick, the father of a former Superintendent of Perry Local Schools, was a school board member during construction.

At its inception, P.J. Lohr School housed grades 1-8. As other buildings were added to Perry Schools, such as Edison Junior High School and Pfeiffer Middle School, Lohr eventually housed grades K-5, which is its population today. A new wing was added in 1972 consisting of several classrooms, offices, a library, and storage areas.

For many years, the Perry Board of Education waited for growth to occur, and Lohr remained the smallest school in the system with one teacher at each grade level. In the fall of 1996 Richville School closed which brought the P.J. Lohr school population to 294 students and effectively filled all classrooms and storage areas. In December of 1996, a wall was added in the library to create our modern computer lab.