Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District Public Education
Profile
The History of Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District
The Placentia School District dates back to 1874. A one-room schoolhouse was established by pioneers who – with bravery, hard work and dreams – paved the way for our present-day award-winning education system. All of this was brought about by the untiring efforts of educationally minded settlers who were visionaries, and who truly valued education. The district wishes to express its gratitude to all those who vividly remembered details and recorded stories and events. We realize that this material is not complete, and this is only the continuation of a long-standing tradition. The Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District (PYLUSD) is “Where the Future Happens.” The completion of this rich history is left to those who come after us.
Here is our story …
COMMUNITY/DISTRICT
1834
A land grant of 13,328 acres – part of which is present-day Yorba Linda – was given to Bernardo Yorba by the Spanish government. He called it “Rancho Cañón de Santa Ana.” After his death in 1858, the land was divided between his wife and children. Some of the land was sold and eventually named Yorba Linda – “Yorba” being the last name of its original owner, and “Linda,” which means “beautiful” in Spanish.
1849
Gold Rush brought many people California.
1850
California admitted to the Union.
1874
Twelve families settled along the Anaheim ditch. The community developed as its population became more established. Mr. William McFadden settled in the Placentia area. He was a teacher at the Santa Ana School, and a county superintendent of the Los Angeles County Schools from 1869 to 1873. Mr. McFadden helped form the El Cajon School District and had a one-room schoolhouse erected at his own expense. It was a plain building with two doors, both on one side, and a window on either end. Students sat on crude wooden benches. The El Cajon School opened with two teachers: Ms. Minnie Walker and Mr. F.K. McDowell. Students: Felipe Yorba, Adeline and Felipa Yorba, Prudencio Yorba, several Peraltas, Taylor Bush, and his sisters. Trustees: William Shanklin, R.H. Gilman and William McFadden. Mr. McFadden also served as assessor and collector when a $500 tax was levied by vote on Dec. 26, 1874, for building and school purposes. The cost of the school, including labor, was $401.54. The school was on the Santa Ana River near the Yorba Bridge.
1876
The El Cajon School was moved with horses and wagons to the northeast corner of Placentia and Chapman avenues.
1878
Placentia School District formed. The district included the northern half of the El Cajon School District, in addition to annexed sections from the districts of Anaheim and Fullerton.
1879
An annual report reported 41 census children. Enrollment: 26 children. Average daily attendance: 14.
1884
The inadequacy of the one-room schoolhouse became apparent, and a two-room schoolhouse was constructed on the southeast corner of Placentia and Chapman avenues. The old building was abandoned but stood in place until 1940. One could almost imagine that it stood proudly as if it knew of the importance it claimed in opening the path to education in the community.
1898
The two-room schoolhouse was replaced with a two-story school building with the help of George Key. The lower floor was divided into two rooms, and the upper story was used as an auditorium. Many community dances were held in this auditorium. Its name was changed to Placentia Grammar School.
1889
Orange County withdrew from Los Angeles County. There were 33 school districts in Orange County at the time, 23 of which had less than 100 students enrolled.
1908
Yorba Linda laid out as a town site.
1911
Yorba Linda School District formed with 3,500 acres within its boundaries. A one-room schoolhouse welcomed students who formerly attended neighboring Olinda School. Two teachers: Miss Amanda Longenecker and Miss Olive Talbert.
1912
First Yorba Linda School District PTA organized. Membership: 14.
1914
Two new school districts – Richfield School District and Commonwealth School District – both formed.
1915
Richfield School District joins Placentia School District and changes its name to Placentia Union School District.
1916
First Placentia Union School District PTA organized by Mrs. Nellie Cline. Other PTAs soon organized. Annual dues: 50 cents.
1921
Commonwealth School District joins Placentia Union School District.
1926
City of Placentia incorporated. Population: 1,300. Acres: 640.
1933
Placentia Union School District petitions to withdraw from the Fullerton Union High School District to become the Placentia High School District. On July 8, Placentia residents appeared before the state Board of Education with a petition signed by 860 people. Valencia High School opens using Bradford School rooms.
1936
Placentia Unified School District formed on July 1 as a result of legislation allowing unification and the addition of a high school.
1942
With the onset of World War II, enrollment dropped as residents moved to areas with defense plants.
1946
Enrollment increased after the end of World War II.
1989
Placentia Unified School District and Yorba Linda School District merge to become the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District.
+++
SCHOOLS
1854 Upper Santa Ana School. Later called Peralta. Sometimes called Yorba.
School eventually abandoned because lack of pupils.
Became the Yorba School District in 1869.
William McFadden taught in the old Yorba School.
Students included Mary Scully, Prudencio Yorba, Ernest Yorba, Mary (Kraemer) Miller, Phoebe Fairbanks, Pauline (Wright) Ames, Lulu (Wright) Brewer, Dave Wright, Samuel Kraemer, Mary (Wright) Key and Carrie (McFadden) Ford—daughter of William McFadden.
1874 Cajon School
Built as a one-room schoolhouse.
Located on the south side of the Santa Ana River near the Yorba Bridge
Many times, the river was at flood stage and the pupils had to pull each other across the current by means of ropes tied about their waists. Several times small groups came down from the hills to the houses begging for food, which was always given.
An election was held in 1883 for $3,000 in bonds at 8 percent. All votes were aye.
In 1876 the school was moved with horses and wagons to the northeast corner of Placentia and Chapman and the name was changed to Placentia School.
In 1884, the one-room schoolhouse was replaced by a two-room schoolhouse.
1884 Placentia School
2nd story added in 1898
By 1904, the school had 90 students.
3 teachers: Mr. Smith principal / teacher taught seventh, eighth and ninth grades; Miss Stella Stanley taught the intermediate grades and Miss Cora Evans taught the primary department. Most schools included the ninth grades because there were few high schools and the majority of the pupils did not go beyond elementary school.
In 1913, this school was replaced by a school building with eight rooms on Bradford Avenue which was named Bradford School.
1911 Yorba Linda School
Opened as a temporary building on September 18, 1911.
Location: Little knoll on the east side of Olinda Street just north of what is now Imperial Highway
Four students who walked three miles originally were attending Olinda School. More students moved into the area justifying the establishment of a school.
At a public meeting at Conley’s hay barn (later known as Casa Loma) community members gathered to discuss providing a building for school purposes. As a result of this meeting, $248.50 were pledged for the purpose of constructing a permanent school. In 1911, a bond issue passed for $8,000 for the construction of a permanent school building. Mrs. Mabel M. Paine was hired as the first principal. The permanent school building was completed in 1926. In 1926, a tax election of $8,400 provided school equipment. In 1940, bonds passed for the rehabilitation of the school.
School demolished in 1954 and re-built as Richard Nixon School.
1912 Bradford School
Location: Bradford Avenue
This school replaced the school building on Placentia and Chapman Avenues.
The eight-room school building, built with a $44,000 bond issue passed in 1911, had an auditorium with balcony that could accommodate 600 people.
In close succession, the following buildings were added to these two main buildings: a wing on the arts building to house kindergarten, music room, administration building and a domestic science building. The administration building was first divided into two lunchrooms with two large fireplaces and later made into a home for Superintendent Riddlebarger.
Fire in 1929
Second larger fire in 1934
Re-built in 1935
Up to this time, Placentia students who wanted further training attended Fullerton High School. However, a strong desire for a separate high school became evident the morning of July 8, 1933 when Placentia residents appeared before the State Board of Education with a petition to establish Valencia High School. The first graduating class consisted of one student, Roy Tillery who on May 2, 1934, played all four parts in a one-act play called “The Mortgage on the Farm.” The first commencement took place on June 12 with Vierling Kersey, State Superintendent of Instruction, delivering the address for the occasion.
1914 Richfield School District formed in 1914
One-room bungalow school at Richfield and Orangethorpe
Accommodated lower grades; Upper grades attended Bradford School
Second cottage added in 1919
Joined Placentia School District in 1915
60 pupils by 1918
1919 second cottage added
1932 earthquake
1939 school condemned due to damage.
School closed in 1940. Sold in 1957.
Students transferred to La Jolla School
1925 Baker Street School
Two bungalow school with first and pre-first grades (kindergarten did not exist)
35 pupils – Attended school in double sessions, meaning morning and afternoon.
1932 earthquake damaged school.
Moved in 1930s to west Santa Fe Avenue and re-named Chapman Hill School.
Closed in 1950 and sold in 1951.
1927 La Jolla School
Location: Blue Gum (now called Melrose)
Single bungalow school
Opens with 40 pupils.
Oil lamps set on wall fixtures to furnish light.
When Richfield School was condemned, 100 students from that school were transferred to the La Jolla School raising enrollment to 360 pupils.
Served as intermediate from 1938 to 1958.
Originally included seventh to tenth grades
Due to declining enrollment, grades changed to seventh through eighth grade.
Name changed to McFadden Elementary in 1958
Closed in 1977 due to declining enrollment.
1933 Valencia High School
Opens using Bradford School rooms.
Students formerly attended Fullerton High School
1934 – First graduating class of one
The first graduating class consisted of one student, Roy Tillery who on May 2, 1934, played all four parts in a one-act play called “The Mortgage on the Farm.” The first commencement took place on June 12 with Vierling Kersey, State Superintendent of Instruction, delivering the address for the occasion.
1954 Richard Nixon School opens at the former site of Yorba Linda School
Sold in 1984 because of a surplus of classrooms across the Yorba Linda district.
1959 Kraemer Intermediate opens
1960 Ruby Drive Elementary opens
1962 Mabel Paine School opens
Wagner Elementary School opens
1964 Morse Elementary School opens
Rose Drive Elementary School opens
Sierra Vista Elementary School opens
Van Buren Elementary School opens
Yorba Linda Middle School opens
1965 Orchard Elementary School opens
Closed and is now the West Campus of Esperanza High School.
Rio Vista Elementary opens
1966 Golden Elementary School opens
El Dorado High School opens
1968 Brookhaven Elementary School opens
Glenknoll Elementary School opens
Tuffree Junior High School opens
1970 Bernardo Yorba Junior High School opens
1972 Fairmont Elementary School opens
George Key School opens
Glenview Elementary School opens
Topaz Elementary School opens
1974 Esperanza High School opens
1975 Linda Vista School opens
1976 El Camino Real Continuation High School opens
1977 John O. Tynes Elementary School opens
Woodsboro Elementary School opens
1988 Travis Ranch School opens
1991 Bryant Ranch School opens
2001 Parkview School opens as Home School
2004 Melrose Elementary School opens
Opens on the site of the former La Jolla school
750 students
School alleviates overcrowding at Rio Vista and Tynes
2005 Lakeview Elementary School opens
Nestled in the growing new residential home community of Vista del Verde
2008 Valadez Middle School Academy opens
Adjacent to Melrose Elementary School
2009 Yorba Linda High School opens
First high school in the City of Yorba Linda
Opens with freshmen and sophomores
One class is added each year
2020 Buena Vista Virtual Academy opens and replaces La Entrada High School
Sources:
• “The History of Placentia Schools 1874-1940” by the senior English classes of Valencia High School.
• 100 Years of Public Education in Orange County by Merton E. Hill
• Early Placentia – It’s Background and Settlers, Development, Schools and Memories by George G. Key
• Placentia Schools Historical Outline – Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District records
• Placentia Library Historical Room, Pat Irot, resident
School Namesakes
EL CAMINO REAL HIGH SCHOOL
El Camino Alternative High School is named for an aspect of our local heritage as school district policy proscribes. El Camino Real was the name the padres gave to the road that connected the missions that they established from the Mexican border to the Oregon border. Each mission was one day’s foot travel apart on the El Camino Real highway. In English, it means “The Road of the King.” It seems appropriate for the school that provides each student his path to success.
EL DORADO HIGH SCHOOL
Consistent with the school district policy to name high schools for our cultural heritage, the school’s name reflects the exploration of California by Spanish and Mexican armies. The El Dorado is the legendary South American city sought by the early Spanish Explorers.
The school district purchased the southern portion of the Brower Ranch on which to build its second high school. Mrs. Ysidora McFadden Brower was the granddaughter of William McFadden, who came to area in 1869. Along with ranching, McFadden taught school, paid for the first school building in this area and served as Los Angeles Superintendent of Schools.
El Dorado opened with an enrollment that incorporated middle school students; those students went on to be part of the school’s graduating class in 1969. This inclusion was only temporary; Tuffree Middle School was in the planning stage.
ESPERANZA HIGH SCHOOL
Consistent with school district policy, Esperanza High School is named for our cultural heritage. This Spanish word, Esperanza, means HOPE in English. The word hope characterizes the motivation of settlers to this area, whether as early as the Yorba and the Ontiveros families, or those who came to make possible the citrus and oil industries.
VALENCIA HIGH SCHOOL
Consistent with school district policy, Valencia High School is named for our cultural heritage. Valenica is well known as a city and port in E. Spain. Probably for this area, it is best known as the name for a very important variety of orange – Valencia. Sharing honors with the winter producing Naval oranges, the Valencia oranges were the summer crop. Richard Gilman, of Placentia, in 1880, budded five acres of Valencia seedlings. He found that conditions were perfect in Placentia for the Valencia orange to succeed. With forty acres, his was the first commercial Valencia orange ranch.
One of the buildings on the Valencia High School campus is part of the old Bradford School that survived a fire. At Valencia High School’s beginning, the students shared the campus with those students attending Bradford School and with school district offices.
The site of Valencia High School is on part of the original Ontiveros Land Grant.
YORBA LINDA HIGH SCHOOL
To memorialize our local heritage, Yorba Linda High School has the same name given to the original settler, Jose Antonio Yorba, who had a Spanish Land Grant awarded to him for his service with the Portola Expedition north from Mexico into what is now California, USA.