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Dixie School District

380 Nova Albion Way
415-492-3700

History:

Old Dixie Schoolhouse was built in 1864 and was formally established as the Dixie School District. At that time it was one of the earliest districts to be established in Marin County. Mrs. Josephine Leary Burke was the last teacher at the school, which continued in operation until 1954. Mrs. Burke had been Superintendent, principal, and sole teacher for 14 years and had 26 pupils at that time.

1954 marked the beginning of dramatic growth for the District. With the rapid development of subdivisions and the sharp increase in population, a school building program became imperative. Ten schools were opened between 1955 and 1969; two were junior high schools and the others were for grades K through 6. Enrollment figures climbed steadily to a peak of 4,896 students in 1968/69.

A decline in enrollment started in 1969 and the District reached a low of 1,014 students in 1985/86. This decline necessitated closing and merging schools. As a result, Vallecito and Dixie schools were the only K through 5 schools while Miller Creek Middle School served students in grades 6 through 8.

Enrollment has been increasing steadily since then, and reached 1,905 students during the 1999/2000 school year. With this increase Mary E. Silveira school was opened as a K through 5 school in 1990. Each school has added classrooms to accommodate the increased space needs, and Dixie School expanded its facilities by adding a multi-use room in 1997.


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