goMPCSD history

1891 Stanford University opens

1892 Ravenswood School District (now RCSD) formed

1893 New Creek School opened near Bay Road [exactly where?], RCSD

1895 Sequoia High School opened, SUHSD

A San Francisco literary publication, later known as “Sunset Magazine,” was founded in 1898 as a promotional tool for the Southern Pacific Railroad.

1904 Los Lomitas School District (LLSD) formed and Los Lomitas School (in Atherton) opened

1912 MP Grammer School destroyed by fire, students met in Menlo Park Presbyterian Church (then on Santa Cruz Ave near Chestnut) until new school built

1914 Central School opened at same location as the destroyed Menlo Park Grammar School (1300 El Camino Real)

The first school built by Menlo Park City Elementary School District was Central Elementary School, on El Camino Real (on the site of the now closed Cadillac dealership). In 1916 the San Mateo County Library opened a branch library in the Central School on El Camino Real in Menlo Park.

1917 Chinese School opened in Wo Sing Building (on north side of Glenwood just west of RR)

1918 One-room school house [the "New" Creek School] on Oak [now Gilbert] Street in North Palo Alto replaced by Ravenswood School fronting on Donohoe Street in Runnymede area

The gates stood on the west side of El Camino Real, about 500 feet from Santa Cruz Avenue until they were destroyed by a motorist in 1922.

After the war enough service center activity remained to prompt an effort to reincorporate Menlo Park in 1923 with the same boundaries as the earlier town.

The PTA was formed on March 18, 1924.

After this dramatic re-incorporation in 1927, the District retained its area of service, explaining why part of Atherton is now in the "Menlo Park City" school district.

The History of Ravenswood by Werner C. Foss, Jr., San Mateo Junior College (1942), unpublished.

1944 Willow (now Willow Oaks) Elementary School constructed, RCSD

The property was purchased in 1947 and began planning an eight room school on the 4 acres that were initially purchased.

Since 1948, four Bond issues and two special tax issues were placed on the ballot.

1949 Hillview School opened

The first classrooms were built in 1952.

1957 O'Connor School (RCSD) opened

The classroom pods were originally built in 1959 with 3 classrooms and a central core area.

1979 Mid-Peninsula High School opens in Palo Alto

The school is set on about 6 acres and was brought into the District in 1984 when the Willows were annexed from the Ravenswood District.

The first discussion of creating a single middle school in the District occurred in 1985, but opposition to change led the Superintendent away from the middle school recommendation, and she tried to implement the program recommendations of “Caught In The Middle” into the existing configuration.

But after the election, one of the newly elected members joined the rest of the board in endorsing the Hillview proposal, and 1989 became the first year Hillview served 6th-8th graders.

1990 was the first year that 5th graders from Oak Knoll and from Encinal came together to begin the new school.