A Bit of History – School Names
The first school in Oakland was founded in July 1853 with sixteen students. Miss Hannah J. Jayne, a member of a pioneer family after whom Jayne Street is named, was the first teacher. The school was located at Twelfth and Jefferson Streets and was purchased in 1853 for $900. Later, the home of Oakland High.
First High School Principal
J.B. McChesney was the high school’s first principal for many years, starting in 1867. In 1913 a grammar school at 13th Avenue and East 38th was named in his honor and later called McChesney Junior High. In 1989, it was renamed Edna Brewer Junior High, a long-time principal at the school.
Named for School Officials or Civic Leaders
Like McChesney School, many schools in Oakland were named after school officials, principals, and teachers.
Burckhalter Elementary School was named for astronomer and director of the Chabot Observatory Charles Burckhalter in 1927.
Clawson School was named in honor of William F. Clawson, an educator and principal at the Tompkins School until his death in 1882.
Campbell School at 4th and Grove Streets started out as Grove Street School. In 1907, it was renamed in honor of Oakland’s first superintendent of Oakland Schools, Frederick ‘Fred’ M. Campbell. Campbell’s daughter Mary was a teacher and then principal for 32 years, ending in 1926. In the early 1950s, the school was closed.
Cole Grammar School (c1885 – c1926) at 10th and Union Streets opened in 1885 and was named after Dr. Rector F. Cole, president of the board of education.
E. Morris Cox School was first called The Elmhurst Annex. It was renamed in honor of E. Morris Cox, who died in 1925. Cox was the Assistant Superintendent of Schools.
Durant School at 28th and West Streets was the 28th Street School renamed in honor of the Rev. Henry Durant, head of the old Oakland College on 12th Street, which grew into the University of California.
Kaiser Elementary was named in honor of Henry J. Kaiser Jr., an industrialist and civic leader.
Howard Elementary on Fontaine Ave was named after Charles P Howard, a civic leader. It is now Oakland Charter of Knowledge.
McClymonds High School was named after J.W. McClymonds, who was once the superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District.
McFeely School was named in honor of Susan McFeely, who was a teacher and principal in the Oakland school district for 49 years before her retirement in 1930.
Carl B. Munck Elementary was named for Carl B. Munck, who served on the school board from 1943 to the mid-1980s, 28 of those years as president.
Swett Grammar School (also known as Intermediate School No. 1) was located at 12th Avenue and East 19th Street. It was named after educator John Swett. In 1913, this historic school became the first of the lower high schools (junior high or middle School). In 1926, a new school was built on Steele St.
Named After Presidents
Many schools in Oakland are named after presidents.
- Cleveland School
- Garfield School
- Harrison Grammar
- Hoover Junior High
- Lincoln Elementary
- James Madison
- Roosevelt High School –
- Washington School – is now Sankofa United
Named for Authors, Poets, or Historians
Longfellow School is at 39th and Market Streets, Emerson at 48th and Webster, and Hawthorne School (which was Fruitvale School No. 2)at Fruitvale and Talant Street. Hawthorne School is now Urban Promise Academy.
Joaquin Miller Elementary and Bret Harte Middle School
Franklin School at 9th Avenue and East 16th Street was named in honor of Benjamin Franklin.
Prescott School at 9th and Campbell Streets was named for William H. Prescott, a historian.
Named for Pioneers or Landowners
Chabot Elementary School was initially called the Claremont Annex School and was renamed Anthony Chabot School in 1927.
Frick Grammar School (later a junior high) located at 62nd and Foothill Blvd was opened in 1912. It was named after Walter P. Frick, a well-known lumberman who donated the land for the school. It is now Frick United Academy of Language.
Peralta Public School – The Peraltas Spanish Pioneers and the First Family of the East Bay
Tompkins School was named for Edward Tompkins, an Oakland Pioneer.
Other Famous People
Ralph J. Bunche Elementary The school was named for Ralph Johnson Bunche (1903-1971). He taught Political Science at Howard University and was the first African American to get a Ph.D. in political science from an American university. He worked with helped Martin Luther King Jr. He was the first African American to be honored with the Nobel Peace Prize. He helped form the United Nations and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President John F. Kennedy.
Burbank Elementary was named after Luther Burbank, a botanist and horticulturist who lived in Northern California. It is now Burbank Preschool Center.
Lazear School (now Lazear Charter Academy) at Twenty-Sixth Avenue and East Ninth Streets opened in 1914. The school was named after Dr. Jesse W. Lazear, an army surgeon. J.W. McClymonds is responsible for coming up with the name. McClymonds, a superintendent for the Oakland schools, voiced his belief.
“that schools should be named after persons who had accomplished something in the world’s work.”
JW McCymonds 1913
Dewey School at 37th Avenue and East 12 Street after George Dewey was an Admiral in the Navy. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War.
Fremont High School was named for John Charles Frémont, an American explorer, military officer, and politician.
Horace Mann School started as Melrose Heights School and was later renamed Horace Mann.
Name After The Location
The school’s location played a part in naming the earlier schools. Bay School at 62nd Street and San Pablo Avenue had a view of the bay. Beulah School at Tompkins and Orchard Streets near Mills College was in the Beulah district.
Many were named for the district or neighborhood they were in.
- Claremont Middle School
- Crocker Highlands
- Elmhurst school – is now Elmhurst United Middle School
- Glenview Elementary
- Grass Valley School
- Lockwood School
- Maxwell Park – is now Melrose Leadership Academy
- Montclair School –
- Rockridge School – is now the Upper Campus of Technical High
- Sheffield School –
- Sobrante Park School – Madison Park Bussiness & Art School
- Toler Heights School – is now Francophone Charter School or Barack Obama Academy
Allendale School, located at Penniman and 38th Avenues in the Allendale district, was founded in 1904 as Fruitvale School No. 3.
Highland School on A Street between 85th and 86th Avenues got its name from 85th Ave, formally called Highland Street. Now called Highland Community School.
Lakeview School opened in 1914 at Grand Avenue, and Perry Street has a lake view. The school began as an annex to Grant School on Broadway (later moved to Pill Hill) and is located on Perry Street. Westlake Middle School is west of Lake Merritt.
Santa Fe School at 54th and Adeline Streets in the Santa Fe Tract.
Nature played a part in the naming of some schools: Laurel School on Kansas Street, Manzanita (now Manzanita Community School) at East 26th and 24th Avenue, Sequoia School on Lincoln Avenue, and Redwood Heights School (also in the Redwood Heights neighborhood)on 39th Avenue.
Skyline High School, Thornhill Elementary, and Piedmont Avenue School were named after the street they are on.
Castlemont High School was first called East Oakland High, but Castlemont was more fitting as it resembled a castle. It is now
Hillcrest Elementary is at the crest of the hill, and Bella Vista School, Bella Vista means beautiful view.
More Info:
- Grant School on Broadway – Oakland Tribune July 1885
- Clawson School – Oakland Tribune Feb 8, 1942
- History of Oakland Schools – Oakland Tribune Nov 30, 1913
- School to Bear Roosevelt’s Name – Oakland Tribune Jan 14, 1919
