Newport Beach Grammar School, ca 1947.
Orange County School Districts
The creation of a school district marked an important step in the development of our early communities. In some smaller communities, an elementary school was the only public institution, and building might also serve as a church, a meeting hall, and a place for dances and public entertainment.
The first local school districts were organized in the 1850s. The early districts covered a lot of territory, and as the population grew, most were divided to form several smaller districts.
Most of the early elementary schools served grades 1-8. Kindergarten came later, followed by intermediate schools (7-8), junior high schools (7-9), and middle schools (7-8).
Elementary School Districts:
Alamitos: 1878 – 1965 (into Garden Grove Unified)
Aliso: 1886 – 1905 (annexed to Trabuco)
Amity: 1879 – 1880 (renamed Santiago)
Anaheim: 1867 – present
Bay City: 1906 – 1911 (suspended). 1913 – 1928 (renamed Seal Beach)
Bay View: ca 1879 – 1886 (annexed to Fountain Valley)
Bolsa: 1894 –1929 (merged with Garden Grove)
Bolsa Grande: 1871 – 1894 (renamed Bolsa)
Brea: 1916 – 1966 (into Brea Olinda Unified)
Buena Park: 1891 – present
Cajon: 1874 – 1878 (renamed Placentia)
Capistrano Beach: 1948 – 1965 (into Capistrano Unified)
Centralia: 1876 – present
Chico: 1890 – 1905 (combined with Westminster). 1911 (annexed to Westminster)
Commonwealth: 1911 – 1920 (annexed to Placentia-Richfield Union)
Costa Mesa Union: 1926 – 1966 (into Newport-Mesa Unified)
Cypress: 1896 – present
Delhi: 1879 – 1924 (renamed Hawthorne)
Diamond – 1877 – 1949 (merged with Santa Ana)
El Modena: 1887 – 1953 (into Orange Unified)
El Toro: 1890 – 1959 (suspended). 1961 (annexed to San Joaquin)
Fairview [Anaheim]: 1869 – 1889
Fairview [Costa Mesa]: 1889 – 1915 (combined with Harper)
Fountain Valley: 1876 – 1890 (lapsed). 1898 – present
Fullerton: 1888 – present
Garden Grove: 1875 – 1965 (into Garden Grove Unified)
Greenville: 1918 – 1961 (divided between Costa Mesa and Santa Ana Unified)
Harper: 1909 – 1915 (combined with Fairview)
Harper-Fairview: 1915 – 1926 (becomes Costa Mesa Union)
Hawthorne: 1924 – 1926 (merged with Santa Ana)
Huntington Beach: 1906 – present
Katella: 1913 – 1954 (merged with Anaheim)
La Habra: 1896 – present
Laguna: 1879 – 1935 (renamed Laguna Beach)
Laguna Beach: 1935 – 1936 (into Laguna Beach Unified)
Laurel: 1898 – 1953 (renamed Los Alamitos)
Loara: 1904 – 1952 (annexed to Anaheim)
Los Alamitos: 1953 – 1980
Lowell Joint: 1906 – present
Magnolia: 1895 – present
Mountain View: 1881 – 1911 (renamed Villa Park)
Newhope: 1879 – 1920 (merged with Garden Grove)
Newport: 1871 – 1918 (renamed Greenville)
Newport Beach: 1894 – 1966 (into Newport-Mesa Unified)
Niguel: 1888 – 1891 (lapsed). 1892 (annexed to Laguna)
North Yorba: 1888 – 1890 (renamed Yorba)
Ocean View – 1875 – 1881 (lapsed). 1884 – present
Olinda: 1899 – 1966 (into Brea Olinda Unified)
Olive: 1876 – 1953 (into Orange Unified)
Orange: 1879 – 1953 (into Orange Unified)
Orangethorpe: 1873 –1954 (divided between Anaheim and Fullerton)
Pacific City: 1903 – 1906 (renamed Huntington Beach)
Paularino: 1914 – 1957 (into Santa Ana)
Peralta: 1889 – 1940 (annexed to Olive)
Placentia: 1878 – 1915 (into Placentia-Richfield Union)
Placentia-Richfield Union: 1915 – 1927 (renamed Placentia Union)
Placentia Union: 1927 – 1935 (into Placentia Unified)
Randolph: 1903 – 1916 (renamed Brea)
Richfield: 1915 (into Placentia-Richfield Union)
Richland: 1872 – 1879 (renamed Orange)
San Clemente: 1931 – 1965 (into Capistrano Unified)
San Joaquin: 1899 – 1973 (divided between Irvine Unified and Tustin Unified)
San Juan: 1867 – 1905 (renamed San Juan Capistrano)
San Juan Capistrano: 1854 – 1857
San Juan Capistrano: 1905 – 1965 (into Capistrano Unified)
Santa Ana: 1855 – 1878 (renamed Yorba)
Santa Ana: 1878 – 1961 (into Santa Ana Unified)
Santiago: 1880 – 1895 (divided between Orange and El Modena)
Savanna: 1904 – present
Seal Beach: 1928 – 1980 (into Los Alamitos Unified)
Serra: 1908 – 1948 (renamed Capistrano Beach)
Silverado: 1881 – 1907 (annexed to El Modena). 1916 – 1953 (into Orange Unified)
Spring: 1869 – 1878 (renamed Santa Ana)
Springdale: 1905 – 1946 (annexed to Westminster)
Sycamore: 1872 – 1890 (renamed Tustin)
Trabuco: 1879 – 1926 (suspended; annexed to El Toro, 1929). 1942 – 1973 (into Saddleback Valley Unified)
Tustin: 1890 – 1973 (into Tustin Unified)
Villa Park: 1911 – 1953 (into Orange Unified)
Westminster: 1872 – present
Yorba: 1878 – 1888 (renamed North Yorba). 1890 – 1930 (merged with Placentia Union)
Yorba Linda: 1912 – 1989 (into Placentia Unified)
High School Districts:
Anaheim Union: 1898 – present
Brea Olinda Union: 1925 – 1966 (into Brea Olinda Unified)
Capistrano Union: 1920 – 1965 (into Capistrano Unified)
Fullerton Union: 1893 – present
Garden Grove Union: 1921 – 1965 (into Garden Grove Unified)
Huntington Beach Union: 1907 – present
Laguna Beach: 1932 – 1936 (into Laguna Beach Unified)
Las Bolsas Union: 1903 – 1907 (renamed Huntington Beach Union)
Newport Harbor Union: 1929 – 1965 (into Newport-Mesa Unified)
Orange Union: 1903 – 1953 (into Orange Unified)
Santa Ana: (part of Santa Ana District beginning in 1889)
Tustin Union: 1921 – 1973 (into Tustin Unified)
Valencia Union: 1933 – 1935 (into Placentia Unified)
Unified School Districts:
Brea Olinda: 1966 – present
Capistrano: 1965 – present
Irvine: 1973 – present
Garden Grove: July 1965 – present
Laguna Beach: 1936 – present
Los Alamitos: 1980 – present
Newport-Mesa: 1965 – present
Orange: 1953 – present
Placentia: 1935 – 1991 (renamed Placentia-Yorba Linda)
Placentia-Yorba Linda: 1991 – present
Saddleback Valley: 1973 – present
Santa Ana: 1961 – present
Tustin: 1973 – present