Oldest schools in California
Encyclopedia
1847
- The first English-language school in California opened at Mission Santa Clara in 1847. It was founded by Olive Mann Isbell, who started the school with 25 pupils in a small adobe at the Mission Santa Clara for $2 a month. The school later moved that spring to MontereyMonterey, CaliforniaThe City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
.
1851
- California Wesleyan College is founded. California Wesleyan later became College of the Pacific, and is now known as University of the Pacific in Stockton. It is the oldest chartered university in California; its date of charter is July 10, 1851. Its original campus was in Santa Clara; it then moved to College Park in San Jose which is now Bellarmine College PreparatoryBellarmine College PreparatoryBellarmine College Preparatory is an all-male, private secondary school located in San Jose, California, USA. Founded in 1851, it is the oldest secondary school in California....
. - College of Santa Clara is founded, which later became University of Santa Clara and is now known as Santa Clara UniversitySanta Clara UniversitySanta Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
in Santa Clara. - College of Notre Dame in Belmont, now known as Notre Dame de Namur UniversityNotre Dame de Namur UniversityNotre Dame de Namur University — formerly the College of Notre Dame — is a private, Catholic University located in Belmont, California in the San Francisco Bay Area. Notre Dame de Namur University is an accredited university in San Mateo County, and the fifth-oldest university in California...
, is founded. This was the first women's college in California. The university is now co-ed. - A portion of College of Santa Clara later became Santa Clara Preparatory, and then Bellarmine College PreparatoryBellarmine College PreparatoryBellarmine College Preparatory is an all-male, private secondary school located in San Jose, California, USA. Founded in 1851, it is the oldest secondary school in California....
in San Jose. This is the oldest private high school for boys in California. - Notre Dame High School in San Jose is founded. This all-girls high school was originally located in Santa Clara to complement the College of Santa Clara.
1852
- Spring Valley Science Magnet School in San Francisco. This is the oldest public school in California. It is the only one of the original 7 gold rush schools in San Francisco that is still in existence.
- Mills CollegeMills CollegeMills College is an independent liberal arts women's college founded in 1852 that offers bachelor's degrees to women and graduate degrees and certificates to women and men. Located in Oakland, California, Mills was the first women's college west of the Rockies. The institution was initially founded...
, the first women's college west of the Rockies, is founded in Benicia, California. It moved to its current location in Oakland in 1871.
1855
- Burnett Elementary School in Morgan Hill. The school is named after Peter Burnett, pioneer and first governor of California.
1856
- St. Clare SchoolSaint Clare SchoolSaint Clare School is a Roman Catholic elementary school operated by Saint Clare Parish in Santa Clara, California, in the United States. It serves families of the Diocese of San Jose, from kindergarten to eighth grade....
in Santa Clara is founded. It is the second oldest primary school in California still operating. - Lowell High SchoolLowell High School (San Francisco)Lowell High School is a public magnet school in San Francisco, California. The school opened in 1856 as the Union Grammar School and attained its current name in 1896. Lowell moved to its current location in the Merced Manor neighborhood in 1962....
in San Francisco is founded. It is the oldest public high school west of the Mississippi, and still operating. - Sacramento High SchoolSacramento High SchoolSacramento Charter High School is an independent public charter high school located in the Alhambra Triangle, adjacent to the Oak Park neighborhood in Sacramento, California. Its charter was approved by the Sacramento City Unified School District's Board of Trustees on July 21, 2003...
in Sacramento, is the second oldest public high school west of the Mississippi River, and still operating.
1857
- Minns' Evening Normal SchoolGeorge W. MinnsGeorge Washington Minns was an American teacher, notable for running the Minns Evening Normal School, which was established in San Francisco, California, in 1857 in order to train teachers for the city's public school system...
was founded as a private school. It became First Normal School, a public institution by the California State Legislature on May 2, 1862. and later known as San Jose State UniversitySan José State UniversitySan Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
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1861
- Chapman UniversityChapman UniversityChapman University is a private, non-profit university located in Orange, California affiliated with the Christian Church . Known for its blend of liberal arts and professional programs, Chapman University encompasses seven schools and colleges: Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media...
, one of the oldest institutions of higher education in California, is founded.
1863
- Saint Mary's College of CaliforniaSaint Mary's College of CaliforniaSaint Mary's College of California is a private, coeducational college located in Moraga, California, United States, a small suburban community about east of Oakland and 20 miles east of San Francisco. It has a 420-acre campus in the Moraga hills. It is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church...
is founded in San Francisco. It later moved to Oakland, and moved again in 1928 to its current location in Moraga. - San Jose High AcademySan Jose High AcademySan José High School is the second oldest public high school in California and was founded in 1863. The school mascot is the Bulldog.In 1985, the school was renamed San Jose Academy as part of the federal magnet schools concept, but on March 25, 2010, it returned to its original name, San José...
, the oldest public high school in San Jose, is founded.
1865
- Loyola High School (Los Angeles, California) was founded in 1865 as St. Vincent's College. In 1919, the Vincentians agreed to transfer management of the school to the Jesuits. It is the oldest continuously run educational institution in Southern California.
1868
- University of California at Berkeley is founded; it is the flagship institution of the UC system.
1873
- Los Angeles High SchoolLos Angeles High SchoolLos Angeles High School is the oldest public high school in the Southern California Region and in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Its colors are blue and white and the teams are called the Romans....
, the oldest public high school in Southern California and in the Los Angeles Unified School DistrictLos Angeles Unified School DistrictLos Angeles Unified School District is the largest public school system in California. It is the 2nd largest public school district in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population...
, is founded.
1875
- Santa Barbara High SchoolSanta Barbara High SchoolSanta Barbara High School, "Home of the Dons," is situated on a beautiful campus in, Santa Barbara, California and is part of the Santa Barbara School Districts. One of the oldest high schools in California, it was established in 1875, and moved to its current site in 1924...
is founded; it is the oldest high school in Santa Barbara County.
1876
- St. Mary's High SchoolSt. Mary's High School (Stockton, California)Saint Mary's High School, founded in 1876, is a Roman Catholic, co-educational, college preparatory in Stockton, California, USA. The school has long established itself as the premier private secondary school in the San Joaquin County. St...
is founded in StocktonStockton, CaliforniaStockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
.
1882
- Pacific Union CollegePacific Union CollegePacific Union College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Angwin, California, United States. It is the only four-year college in Napa County, California....
is founded as Healdsburg Academy in Healdsburg, California. - The Academy of Our Lady of PeaceThe Academy of Our Lady of PeaceAcademy of Our Lady of Peace , is a Catholic high school for young women in San Diego, started by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet...
is founded; it is the first and oldest school in San Diego, California. - San Diego High SchoolSan Diego High SchoolSan Diego High School is an urban public educational complex comprising six small schools located on the southern edge of Balboa Park, in San Diego, California. It is part of the San Diego Unified School District. It is the oldest high school in the San Diego Unified School District and one of the...
, the oldest public high school in San Diego and San Diego County, is founded.
1883
- San Bernardino High SchoolSan Bernardino High SchoolSan Bernardino High School is a public high school located in the "Uptown neighborhood" of San Bernardino, California. San Bernardino High School is located north of Downtown San Bernardino and south of San Bernardino's University District. It is a part of the San Bernardino City Unified School...
, San Bernardino, California, is the oldest high school in San Bernardino County. - Modesto High SchoolModesto High SchoolModesto High School is a high school in Modesto, California, U.S.A. It offers the International Baccalaureate Program, and was the first public school to do so in the Central Valley of California.Modesto High School is the oldest high school in Modesto....
, Modesto, California.
1887
- Pomona CollegePomona CollegePomona College is a private, residential, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Founded in 1887 in Pomona, California by a group of Congregationalists, the college moved to Claremont in 1889 to the site of a hotel, retaining its name. The school enrolls 1,548 students.The founding member...
, the founding institution of the Claremont Consortium, is founded in PomonaPomona, California-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Pomona had a population of 149,058, a slight decline from the 2000 census population. The population density was 6,491.2 people per square mile...
. It moved to ClaremontClaremont, CaliforniaClaremont is a small affluent college town in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The population as of the 2010 census is 34,926. Claremont is known for its seven higher-education institutions, its...
in 1889.
- Chico Normal School (now California State University, Chico) is founded in Chico, California, the second normal school in California.
1888
- Santa Barbara Business CollegeSanta Barbara Business CollegeSanta Barbara Business College is one of the oldest colleges in California, founded in 1888 as a co-ed finishing college in Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara Business College has expanded its program fields and campus locations...
, California's oldest technical school, is founded in Santa Barbara.
1889
- The Thacher SchoolThe Thacher SchoolThe Thacher School is a co-educational independent boarding school located on 425 acres of hillside overlooking the Ojai Valley in Ojai, California, United States. Founded in 1889 as a boys' school, it is now the oldest co-ed boarding school in California. Girls were first admitted in 1977. The...
, California's oldest coed boarding school, is founded in OjaiOjai, CaliforniaOjai is a city in Ventura County, California, USA. It is situated in the Ojai Valley , surrounded by hills and mountains. The population was 7,461 at the 2010 census, down from 7,862 at the 2000 census.-History:Chumash Indians were the early inhabitants of the valley...
by Sherman Day ThacherSherman Day ThacherSherman Day Thacher, , was the founder and headmaster of the Thacher School at Ojai, California. A graduate of Hopkins Grammar School, he attended Yale University and won second prize in English composition his Sophomore year; oration appointment Junior year; dissertation appointment Senior year;...
. - Santa Ana High SchoolSanta Ana High SchoolSanta Ana High School is the oldest and largest high school in Orange County, California, United States. The school was established in 1889.-Notable alumni:*Beverly Bivens, singer with the 1960s band We Five*Gerald P...
, the oldest high school in Orange CountyOrange County, CaliforniaOrange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
, is founded. - Fresno High SchoolFresno High SchoolFresno High School is a four-year secondary school located in Fresno, California. Fresno High is the oldest high school in the Fresno metropolitan area and one of the few International Baccalaureate schools; in addition it continues to be the most populous and most diverse campus in Fresno. Dr....
is founded.
1891
- Washington High SchoolWashington High School (Fremont, California)Washington High School is one of the five Fremont, California, public high schools and was established in 1892. It is a part of the Fremont Unified School District.-History:...
is founded in Fremont. - Leland Stanford Junior University in Palo Alto. Commonly called Stanford UniversityStanford UniversityThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. - Sonoma Valley High SchoolSonoma Valley High SchoolSonoma Valley High School is a high school located in Sonoma, California with approximately 1,350 students. Dino Battaglini, Principal. Kathleen Summers, Paul Tuohy, and Andrew Ryan, Vice Principals. Sonoma Valley High School is part of the Sonoma Valley Unified School District.-Academics:Sonoma...
is founded in Sonoma. It was meant to be a feeder school for UC Berkeley. - Redlands High SchoolRedlands High SchoolRedlands High School is located in Redlands, California, United States. Founded in 1891, it is the oldest public high school in the State of California still functioning on its original site and the first "unified high school" formed from three elementary school districts...
is founded. It is the oldest public high school in the state of California still functioning on its original site, and the first "unified high school" formed from three elementary school districts. Its campus includes the historic Clock Auditorium, built in 1928.
1892
- Lompoc High SchoolLompoc High SchoolLompoc High School is the public high school serving Lompoc, in northern Santa Barbara County, California, USA. It was first established in the small farming community in 1892...
is founded in Lompoc. - Hayward High SchoolHayward High SchoolHayward High School is a public high school in Hayward, California, one of four high schools in the city. It is one of the oldest high schools in Northern California. The official mascot for Hayward High is the "Farmer" which dates back to Hayward's period as an agricultural center...
, Hayward, CaliforniaHayward, CaliforniaHayward is a city located in the East Bay in Alameda County, California. With a population of 144,186, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda County. Hayward was ranked as the 37th most populous municipality in California. It is included in...
1893
- Bakersfield High SchoolBakersfield High School]Bakersfield High School is a high school located in Bakersfield, California, USA.Institutional names and dates of operation:*Kern County High School 1893-1915*Kern County Union High School 1915-1945*Bakersfield High School 1945–present...
is founded as Kern County High School. - Santa Maria High SchoolSanta Maria High SchoolSanta Maria High School is one of the 4 primary high schools in the city of Santa Maria, California, the United States. Located in the heart of the city, Santa Maria High School is the oldest school in the Santa Maria Valley and is part of the oldest high school district in California. The Santa...
in Santa Maria is founded. It is the second-oldest high school functioning on its original site.