The buildings and grounds of the Whitney Institute Middle School are owned by the Whitney Educational Trust whose members are the Trustees of the School.

Whitney has a long and proud tradition dating back into the last century. It was on February 21, 1878, that a meeting of parishioners was convened in Smith's parish for the purpose of considering the erection of a school on a plot of land, which was offered by Thomas J. Pearman, a merchant of Hamilton Parish, and his wife.

The building started soon after, but one Sunday afternoon a hurricane, comparable in strength to the severe hurricane of 1839, struck the island. With barometric pressure at 28.856 inches at midnight on Sunday, the new Smith's parish School was destroyed.

The parishioners lost no time in establishing a subscription fund of the purpose of raising money for the re-building. The sums collected were trivial in comparison to the sum needed.

It was at this point that Mr. and Mrs. William Whitney of 'Mont Clare' in Flatts came to the aid of the parishioners and in January 1880, they made a large donation to the scheme, which enabled re-building to commence immediately.

As an expression of appreciation to their benefactor, the parishioners renamed the school 'The Whitney Institute'.