Our District
Who We Are
Nestled in the East Foothills, the Mt. Pleasant Elementary School District is proud to serve San Jose families at five public schools: August Boeger Middle School, Ida Jew Academy, Mt. Pleasant STEAM Academy, Robert Sanders Elementary School, and Valle Vista Elementary School.
MPESD was originally established as Mt. Pleasant Elementary in 1865 within the Pala Rancho, which was the surrounding tract of land acquired by Charles White three decades before. The one-room school was portable, on rollers that would move it to different farm areas as needed. Eventually, from 1915 to 1955, the school was situated at a building with four rooms and one auditorium, which is what we now know as San Jose Moose Lodge 401 on 1825 Mt. Pleasant Road. As for Mt. Pleasant Elementary itself, it can now be found at 14275 Candler Avenue.
Click here to read more about our current schools!
Past Schools
Fred Marten Elementary was established on 14271 Story Road in 1957, named after one of the subdivision owners in the Pala Rancho. It closed on June 30, 1992.
Foothill Intermediate was a middle school added in 1966. Its counterparts, Foothill High and Foothill College, still exist to this day while Foothill Intermediate closed in 1989. A California Distinguished School, Foothill Intermediate was known for its partnership with UCLA Advanced Management Program, as well as its GATE Rotation Program that won a Golden Bell Award in 1988. The old campus, 1966 Flint Avenue, is now used for another MPESD school: Ida Jew Academy & Valle Vista Elementary.
Vision
Community – Equity – Success
Mission
We foster a connected community of belonging and equity through innovative learning, meaningful engagement, and a commitment to every student’s success.
Land Acknowledgement
If you don’t know how to pronounce our Tribe’s name, here it is - Muwékma! (muh-wek-mah)The Mt. Pleasant Elementary School District wants to recognize that this land is the traditional territory of the Muwekma Ohlone tribe. We want to thank the Muwekma Ohlone tribe, and other indigenous people for sharing this land with us today. This land is very important to us and the people who live here because it gives us a place to live, sleep and learn. One way we can support indigenous communities is by studying, supporting and remembering the Muwekma Ohlone people whose land this once belonged to.
How can I learn more?
The Muwekma Ohlone tribe's official website has a wealth of resources that you can read to learn more about their history and culture.