Donald M. Cleland A History of the Santa Monica Schools 1876-1951, Santa Monica Unified School District, February 1952 (Copied for the Santa Monica Library, July 22, 1963). 140 pp.
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"The Washington School that [had risen] out of the ashes of the old one the same year (1908) gave the neighborhood its first fine brick building. Cement sidewalks had been laid around the entire block, but weeds and wild flowers still grew unmolested in the streets. The new building contained twelve rooms, was of two-story construction, and commanded a view of the Santa Monica-Ocean Park strand. The slope of the hill permitted the extension of the building downward, creating a sub-story. Before three years were passed (1911), space in the sub-story room had been converted into classroom space. [47. Pearl, op. cit., p. 27.]
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"After a lively campaign, in which the women of the city again played an important part, the election was held on Tuesday, January 24, 1911. Bonds in the amount of $200,000 were voted to the high school district to meet the cost of a new site and the necessary buildings to establish the high school on the top of Prospect Hill. Out of the 875 votes cast, 768 favored the bonds. [55. Board Minutes, Jan. 30, 1911.] There were, of course, a few individuals who felt that the site on Prospect Hill was ill advised; but its location halfway between the north and south sections of the town ultimately did much to unify the district.
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Frank W. Thomas, elected in 1911, was the first principal of the new high school, which opened in its new location with an enrollment of 450 students and a staff of twenty-three teachers.
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The Curriculum
"The general courses of the curriculum in Santa Monica High School have always been maintained at a high standard. The subjects first taught on the new campus were: modern and classic languages, history, English, science, commercial subjects, manual training, domestic science, and physical education."