Search Online Using the Right Words
Simply typing your school’s name into a search engine usually yields too many irrelevant results. Instead, put the school’s name in quotation marks and add the town, year, or decade. Try combinations such as “class photo,” “school photograph,” “yearbook,” “former students,” and “alumni.”
Search for your teacher’s name as well. People who upload old photographs often remember the teacher but can’t name every child. Check the image results and try searching for nearby years, because old photos are often uploaded with the wrong date. A picture labeled 1978 may actually have been taken in 1977 or 1979.
Check out alumni websites, digitized yearbooks, and local history pages as well. Some websites require payment, but don’t subscribe until you’ve confirmed that they have something useful. Search results may show a blurred preview or a description that helps you decide. If the photograph isn’t online, don’t assume it’s been lost. The person who has the best copy may simply never have uploaded it.