Where are We Located?

Barnard Elementary School is located in the Point Loma area of San Diego. Barnard is a small neighborhood school which has served the community for over 62 years. It is located near the ocean and Sea World. Our students come to us from across the United States and countries around the world, as well as families who have lived in the neighborhood for generations. This gives our students a rich cultural diversity.

Who is Henry Barnard?

Barnard Elementary School was named after Henry Barnard (1811-1900). He graduated from Yale and became an attorney. He was a proponent of improving public schools and making education available to everyone. He founded the first teacher-training institutes. Henry served as principal, superintendent, chancellor, and president of various colleges before retiring in 1870. Barnard devoted most of his personal fortune to publishing books on school legislation.

 

A Little History about Barnard School

Barnard opened for its first classes in September, 1944. The school was built to educate the children of Navy personnel stationed in the Point Loma area during World War II. After World War II, the facility was given to the city of San Diego. In 1947, Barnard Elementary School opened as a San Diego public school, for grades K through 6. Barnard School was a showplace for new technology and community events. Between 1954 and 1960 the school was closed while General Atomic and Convair division of General Dynamics used Barnard as a research facility in support of the space program. During this time, six of the original seven Mercury astronauts including Walter Schirra and Gus Grisson visited Barnard. In 1960, Barnard was reopened as a public elementary school and has provided quality instruction since then. Today, Barnard is a showplace for its unique Mandarin Chinese Language Program and state of the art technology.