Hawthorne has a history that dates back to 1859, when the settlers of Green's Corners, a farming village southeast of Ottawa, built a small log schoolhouse.

It is clear that by the time that a new, red-brick building was constructed by John Alexander in 1899, it was called Hawthorne Public School.

The one-room schoolhouse of 1899 served the area until January 1961, when the current two-storey, multi-classroom school opened on St. Laurent Blvd.

High schools that Hawthorne students attend after graduation include Lisgar, Bell, Merivale, Colonel By, Canterbury, Hillcrest, Brookfield and Ridgemont.

In 2006, a book called Hawthorne Writes was published with the help of fundraising and donations from the families of children involved with the project.

The stories were then translated into many different languages by parents, teachers and students in order to promote and display the school's multiculturalism.