History of John Muir Elementary School

John Muir School is one of the 11 elementary schools in the Berkeley Unified School District. 

The school was built in 1916 with funds from the 1915 bond.

John Muir, California’s beloved naturalist, had died in 1914. The school was built on what had been the Cox estate, with many old trees, including a sequoia, and a stretch of Harwood Creek. Naming this school, in its naturalistic setting, was a fitting way to honor John Muir.

The original architect of the Tudor-style building was James W. Placheck. Walter Ratcliff designed the auditorium.

The first principal of John Muir was Miss Lydia Atterbury, with the original curriculum was based upon the Montessori method. 

The original building was one-story and reached capacity almost at once. A needed renovation occurred in 1919, where a second story was added, the auditorium was enlarged, and a library installed on the first floor.

Murals were painted in the library in 1924 by renowned California artist Ray F. Coyle.

In 1926, there were approximately 325 students, and by 1970, there were approximately 479 students. 

In 1937, the auditorium and kindergarten area was retrofitted to meet the Field Act.

The school hosted the first integrated classrooms in Berkeley Unified School District in 1969.

The architecturally significant Arts and Crafts schoolhouse was slated for demolition in 1976, until the community rallied to preserve the building and the historic murals.

The classroom wing and the kindergarten area were retrofitted in 1980. The retrofit was designed by the team of Collin, Byrens, Gerson and Overstree.

In 1984, the school was reopened as a “model school” to mainstream special education students. 

In 1989, the Model School was chosen as one of the first schools to be made accessible to the disabled, and in 1990, the school changed its name back to the John Muir School.

In 2016, John Muir celebrated its Centennial Anniversary. There was a major infrastructure project in 2016.

Today, John Muir serves over 300 students, from TK through 5th grade. It sits on more than three acres of beautiful grounds, nested among redwood trees.