Mission Statement:

The Fallbrook Union Elementary School district is dedicated to providing opportunities for all students to achieve academic excellence and develop positive self-esteem, thus enabling them to be life long learners and contributing members in an ever changing society.

History of the Fallbrook Union Elementary School District:

The Fallbrook Union Elementary School District is located in northern San Diego County. This area is bound by the San Luis Rey River on the south, the Santa Margarita River on the north, Interstate 15 on the east, and includes parts of Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base on the west. The area is semi-rural, and includes many avocado groves.

This area has had numerous small one-school school districts since the 1870's. As early as 1872, the San Diego Union newspaper mentions charges of $.54 per child were apportioned to the Monserrate and Mt. Fairview School Districts. Mt. Fairview became our neighboring district of Bonsall. The Monserrate school, located on land originally given in a land grant to Ysidro Alvarado, was located in an area that is today near Highway 78, which forms the southern edge of today's district. It became part of the Fallbrook schools when portions of this area were annexed in 1952 to the Fallbrook School District.

In 1876, the Fall Brook (two words) District, known as the Reche School/District, was officially organized. School had been taught in the homes of local settlers, the last being in the home of Mrs. Magee. On March 20, 1886, bonds in the amount of $800.00 were voted for a school building. School for many of Fallbrook's earliest families began in this building in the fall of 1886. Another early grammar school within the boundaries of Fallbrook, was the DeLuz School. Originally called the Santa Rosa District, it became the DeLuz School in 1893. It is today located 12 miles northwest of the town of Fallbrook in DeLuz Canyon. The current structure is a one-room schoolhouse, built in 1927 and operational until 1969. This one-room school is still used today by the school district as an Ecology Center for 3rd and 5th graders. However, the first one-room schoolhouse in the town proper was built in 1887 and was called West Fallbrook Elementary School. In 1894, a larger building was needed to accommodate the growing number of children living in and near the blossoming town of Fallbrook. This building was constructed on the same grounds, and it contained the "Grammar School" on its first floor, and the high school in four rooms upstairs. This building was used until 1915, and today this site is the location of the Maie Ellis Elementary School, named for one of the popular teachers of the original grammar school.

The District was known as West Fallbrook District until 1946. It was formed from many small surrounding districts, some as previously mentioned. They included Fall Brook (Reche), Forrster City (located on Camp Pendleton), Willow Glen, Morro, Monserrate, and DeLuz School Districts. In 1946, the District changed its name to the Fallbrook Union School District. Today it includes eight K-8 schools, two of which are located on the large Marine Corps Base of Camp Pendleton. This district serves a diverse population and is looking ahead to future challenges.