A Sunny Start (1889-1909)

1899 - Residents were tired of sending their children to school in nearby Mountain View, so in February they formed the Encina School District and approved a $4,000 bond to build the town’s first school.

1899 - In September Encina School opened on Washington Avenue near Frances Street in the then-town of Encinal. It had one teacher for all grades, Jennie Cilker of Los Gatos. 

1900 - First Principal Mr. J.C. Frye appointed

1901 - Alice E. Jones was hired as the school’s second teacher, replacing Miss Cilker. 

1901 - By March, the community had grown to such an extent and had so many students that there “were no chairs to accommodate them” for the 1901-02 school year.

1902 - Acquired three teachers. Miss Murphy - 1st grade; Miss Evans - 2nd grade; Miss Russel - 4th-8th grades.

1904 - District name changed to Sunnyvale School District

1906 - The school was damaged in the San Francisco earthquake, and the second story had to be removed. The school was later expanded and called the Sunnyvale School. 

1908 - First Sunnyvale Alumni Association formed