Redlands Unified School District

The Redlands Unified School District is a public school district in San Bernardino County, California. It includes the city of Redlands, and the majority of the city of Loma Linda. The unincorporated community's of Mentone, Crafton, and Forest Falls. As well as portions of other adjacent cities, the eastern half of Highland and a small eastern portion of San Bernardino.^[1]

Total enrollment was 19,773 in 2024. The district has 16 elementary schools that serve kindergarten through fifth grade, four middle schools serving sixth through eighth grades. The district has three four-year high schools, one alternative high school and one charter high school.

Early history of public education in Redlands was established by the local Estancia outpost of the San Gabriel Mission by Spanish missionaries in 1820. The Mission School taught local native tribes about agriculture, religion among other things. The Van Leuven school, a private school was established in 1854 nearby. The Mission School District was established in 1857 and opened Mission Elementary using the Van Leuven School House. Lugonia Elementary was founded in October 1877 by Frank E. Brown and George W. Beattie on the northwest corner of Lugonia Avenue and Church Street, it established the Lugonia School District. Crafton Elementary was established in 1888 and created the Crafton School District.^[2][3] Redlands was incorporated as a city in 1888.

The Redlands School District was organized and founded in 1905. It was created from the already established Lugonia, Mission School and Crafton School Districts in the towns of Redlands, Lugonia and the nearby area of Crafton.^[4] One high school was established by the districts prior to consolidation, the "Union High School", now Redlands High School in 1891. The Union High School was originally on the northwest corner of Orange Street and Colton Avenue at a temporary building called, the Wilson-Berry Building. Redlands High School's current campus on Citrus Avenue was completed in 1892, it has remained in the same location since opening day, the only high school in California still operating on its original site. It is considered the oldest high school in California. The school districts consolidated into the Redlands Unified School District (RUSD) in 1905.^[5]

Lugonia Elementary was named after the Lugo family of California, early settlers of Redlands before incorporation. Kingsbury Elementary opened in 1888 and in 1892, teacher Mrs. Mary Fackler started the tradition of reciting the American Pledge of Allegiance at the start of each school day. The custom faded and she helped re-start the spread of the recital nationwide.^[6] McKinley Elementary was built in 1903, it is named after the 25th President of the United States, William McKinley, the first sitting U.S. president to visit Redlands in 1901. Kimberly Elementary was founded in 1957, and named after resident Mary Kimberly Shirk, owner of the Kimberly Crest mansion, daughter of the founder of Kleenex. Smiley Elementary was named after Redlands founders, the Smiley brothers Albert K. and Alfred Smiley, opened in 1953. Judson & Brown Elementary was also named after Redlands founders Edward G. Judson and Frank E. Brown, opened in 2006.^[7]

The first official Redlands "Junior High" school building was opened in 1921 adjacent Redlands High School. E. M. Cope Middle School, founded in 1957, is named after Edward Mitchell Cope, local business owner and founder of the Redlands chapter of the Red Cross, who also donated land to build the Community Hospital. The Redlands Junior High School site closed in 1966.^[8][9][10] Clement Middle School opened in the fall of 1962. It's named after former Redlands educator and early Redlands Superintendent Henry G. Clement. Moore Middle School opened as Moore Junior high school in the fall of 1966, named after the Moore family, owners of the local Daily Facts newspaper from 1895 to 1981.^[11] Beattie Middle School opened in 2004, named after the first teacher at Lugonia Elementary school, U of R alumni, founding faculty at the University of the Philippines in Manila, Superintendent of San Bernardino County schools and local historian, George W. Beattie.^[12]

The Redlands eAcademy is a RUSD on-line school.^[13] The school features a blended learning environment and serves grades K-12. The school opened in August 2013.^[14][15][16]

The three comprehensive High Schools, RHS, REVHS and CVHS, each play in the Division II Interscholastic sports league, Citrus Belt League.

In 2015, Redlands East Valley High School 2014 varsity cheerleaders were criticized for dressing up in costume gang attire with fake weaponry inside the school's gymnasium depicting a supposed "Latino Gang".^[17]

From as early as 1995 the district has also had a large number, adjusted for its size, of child molestation and abuse cases. This includes criminal and civil cases involving Redlands teachers Lopez, Whitehurst, Kirkland, Koonce, Kelly, and Timothy Rochester, among others, and is an on-going problem with screening and grooming in the district. To date, the district has paid out over 50 million in damages to affected students and families.^{[18] [19]}