Schools & Churches

Special Collections

Berkeley's public schools were among the first in the nation to voluntarily desegregate.  View some local desegregation stories here.

The Berkeley History Room has the Berkeley Junior Traffic Police Archives, a collection of newspapers clippings, photographs, service records of participants from the 1930s to the 1960s, and a BJP flag.

The Swingle Collection is a collection of some 300 items mostly from 1842-1942 all to do with Berkeley's past, culture and development.  Owing to its age and sometime fragile condition, this collection requires an appointment to view.  An index can be found here.

School Yearbooks Available in the Berkeley History Room

The Berkeley History Room contains many of Berkeley's yearbooks from the 1880s to the present, inluding many from elementary, junior high, and senior high schools as well as the University of California.

  • The University of California at Berkeley Blue & Gold
    From 1877 - 1986 (nearly complete), and spotty collection thereafter.
  • Berkeley High School--The Olla Podrida
    From 1895 - Present
  • St. Mary's High School--The Peraltan
    From 1991 - 1993
  • West Campus
    From 1966 - 1983
  • McKinley Introductory High School--The Target
    From 1910 - 1916 (school renamed Willard Intermediate High School, later Willard Jr. High in mid-1916).
  • Burbank Jr High--The Wizard
    From 1911 - 1963
  • Edison Jr High--The Mazda
    From 1916 - 1933
  • Garfield--The Gleaner
    From the 1920s to 1968
  • Longfellow Yearbook
    1997, 2002-2004
  • Martin Luther King, Jr Yearbook
    From 1968 - the mid 2000s
  • Willard --The Target
    From Oct 1916 - mid 2000s (this school was originally opened in Jan 1910 as McKinley Intermediate High School)

 

Books About Berkeley Schools

Books about schools in Berkeley are generally in the call number range 370-379 in the Berkeley History Room.  We have many yearbooks, directories, and sources about things like racial integration in the schools.

The Newspaper Clipping File is a great source of primary documentation on school-related topics.

Below are some books available online.

 

Berkeley Churches

Books about churches and religion in general can be found in the Berkeley History Room in the call number range 200-299.

 

Local School Associations

The Berkeley Alumni Association (for public schools in Berkeley, NOT U.C. Berkeley) allows you to connect with old school chums, find reunions, and so forth.