Schools have a large niche in Petaluma history

Schools have occupied a central position in the history of Petaluma and the adjacent countryside.

Former Mayor Helen Putnam made a short compilation of schools from old records. According to the records, construction of the first local grammar school began in 1859 at B and Fifth streets. In 1860, the brick building was completed, with room for 252 children and in the 1870s, the school expanded to include 700 students.

A private high school was constructed on D Street in 1867, and it was made into a public high school six years later.

Hill School was constructed in 1867 at Oak and Walnut streets at a cost of $1,200, and the following year, F Street School was built above Sixth Street. The F Street grammar school cost $1,700 to build, and included the price of the lot.

In 1904, $35,000 in bonds was authorized to create a 10-room building at the Bassett Street Plaza. This might have been the first bonded school in Petaluma.

In 1857, only 100 of the 352 children in the Petaluma area eligible to attend school were doing so. It was surmised that the tuition rate of $3 per month was keeping most students away.

The following year, the State Legislature approved levying a school tax to pay for an educational system, thereby facilitating the emergence of other schools.

At least one of these schools, Free Kindergarten, opened in 1894 due to an endowment provided by W. H. Pepper. Located at Washington and Liberty streets, it had a fluctuating enrollment of 28 to 54 children.

Old records also show that Petaluma once had a school for African-American children, located in a rented building on Fifth Street, south of D Street. By the 1870s, it had about 20 students, but slipped to four in 1877. Within 10 years, segregation officially ended, and the school was abolished.

The city also held night school for Chinese adults and children, with a primary focus on helping them to develop English skills.

Currently, Petaluma City Schools — consisting of 19 schools in the Petaluma Elementary School District and the Petaluma Joint Union High School District — has the largest number of students. Old Adobe Union School District consists of five elementary schools and Waugh School District contains two elementary schools.

Petaluma has five other school districts, each consisting of one elementary school.