Belmont Historical Society │ 10 Twin Pines Lane Belmont, CA 94002 www.belmonthistoricalsociety.com A Brief History of Belmont
Public Schools
1860 – 1965
Belmont Historical Society │ 10 Twin Pines Lane Belmont, CA 94002 www.belmonthistoricalsociety.com Belmont’s First Public School
1860 - 1890
• 1860 - 17 children received
instruction in a private home in
Belmont
• 1861 - Residents petitioned the San
Mateo County Board of Supervisors
to create the Belmont School District
• 1864 - The first schoolhouse was built
in Belmont for 25 children between
the ages of 4 and 18
• This one-roomed structure was used
until 1890
Belmont Historical Society │ 10 Twin Pines Lane Belmont, CA 94002 www.belmonthistoricalsociety.com A Country School
“By the late 1880s, a new student would have
found long rows of desks and seats, a
teacher’s desk and a big, black iron stove in
the center of the room.
The air conditioning consisted of a bucket of
water being sloshed about on the floor by
one of the students.”
Kate C. Williams
“A Collection of Little Stories about Belmont in the 1800s” James Van Court photograph of Belmont School, 1887
Photo courtesy of The San Mateo County Historical Association Belmont Historical Society │ 10 Twin Pines Lane Belmont, CA 94002 www.belmonthistoricalsociety.com Corporal Punishment
• Quarreling and pulling hair
• Persistent whispering
• Throwing stones at the swallows
• Swearing
• Tearing a book for spite
• Climbing out of the window
• Lying
• Impudence
• Lighting fires under the bridge
Belmont Historical Society │ 10 Twin Pines Lane Belmont, CA 94002 www.belmonthistoricalsociety.com Belmont’s Second Public School
1890 - 1917
Second Belmont School at the corner of Old County Road and O’Neill Avenue Belmont Historical Society │ 10 Twin Pines Lane Belmont, CA 94002 www.belmonthistoricalsociety.com Belmont 1880s
Belmont Historical Society │ 10 Twin Pines Lane Belmont, CA 94002 www.belmonthistoricalsociety.com Early School Supplies
• 1 box of slate pencils
• 2 dozen lead pencils
• Pacific Coast 1st, 2nd, 3rd
and 4th Reading books
• 1 water dipper
• 1 bar of soap
• 2 brooms
• 1 whip
Belmont Historical Society │ 10 Twin Pines Lane Belmont, CA 94002 www.belmonthistoricalsociety.com Belmont Public School Registers
• Thank you to Belmont-Redwood Shores
School District Superintendent Deguara
for the loan of 72 Public School Registers
dating from the 1880s – 1930s
• Attendance records show notable early
Belmont families – Barres, Waltermires,
Newhalls, Jankes, Johnsons, Hammersons,
O’Neills, and the Emmetts
1895 Belmont Public School Register
Belmont Historical Society │ 10 Twin Pines Lane Belmont, CA 94002 www.belmonthistoricalsociety.com Belmont’s Third Public School
1918 – 1963
Third Belmont School located on Waltermire Avenue, between 6th Avenue and El Camino Real Belmont Historical Society │ 10 Twin Pines Lane Belmont, CA 94002 www.belmonthistoricalsociety.com 1948 - 1965
• Barrett Elementary School 1948
• Cipriani Elementary School 1952
• Nesbit Elementary School 1953
• Carlmont High School 1953
• McDougal Elementary School 1956
• Ralston Middle School 1958
• Central Elementary School 1964
• Fox Elementary School 1965
Belmont Historical Society │ 10 Twin Pines Lane Belmont, CA 94002 www.belmonthistoricalsociety.com Belmont Historical Society Updates
• Renovated the History Room
• Creating new exhibits
• Expanding our digital archive
• Responding to public inquires
• Assisting City of Belmont departments with
historic research (most recently - Firehouse
Square, Twin Pines Park Creekbank Restoration,
Red Rock Hill)
• Supporting Stanford University with research
related to the NDNU property
Belmont Historical Society │ 10 Twin Pines Lane Belmont, CA 94002 www.belmonthistoricalsociety.com Upcoming Events
• “Belmont Talks,” Belmont Library, October 13, 2022
• Presentation to Belmont-Redwood Shores School
District, November 2022
• Reopening of the History Room in early 2023
• Visit us at www.belmonthistoricalsociety.com
• Find us on
Presentation prepared by Rose Laflin and Karl Mittelstadt