The History of La Verne Heights Elementary School

La Verne Heights is the oldest school in the Bonita Unified School District. It first opened in 1875 with 8 students. It was located at the mouth of San Dimas Canyon. In 1883 the school was moved a short distance away. Two years later, in 1885, a large one-room schoolhouse was built on Baseline Road on the site of the present school. In 1899 another room was added to the schoolhouse and a second teacher was hired. We now had two classes and two teachers.

 

In 1903 a new two-story building was built on the same site at a cost of approximately $12,000. The second floor was used as a high school for three years until Bonita High School could be built. If you notice, the new school (pictured to the right) has a bell tower. The bell is still in a bell tower on the south side of our auditorium, and we still carry on the tradition of having each 5th grade student ring the bell on the last day of their school year.

 

Today, La Verne Heights has 22 classrooms, 21 teachers, and approximately 520 students.