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OVSD: A Rich History of Places & People

 

First Ocean View school house

Ocean View is one of the oldest school districts in Orange County, even older than the city of Huntington Beach. The story of Ocean View began 142 years ago when the first Ocean View School was formed by local farming families among the vegetable fields. Back then, the area was made up of peat springs and farm land, and it was not unusual for the Santa Ana River to overflow. Children came from miles away, often under challenging circumstances, to attend the first organized Ocean View School. A formal school building was completed in 1896 thanks to donated land on the southeast corner of Beach and Smeltzer (now Edinger). The school bell (photo to left) was purchased for 45 dollars from England and placed in a beautiful bell tower at the school.
 

District Office (Wintersburg)

The next school house was built in 1911 at the corner of Huntington Beach (now Beach) and Wintersburg (now Warner), and the bell was moved to the new building (photo to right). By 1949, Ocean View had combined with the Springdale district and enrollment grew rapidly. A new school house with eight classrooms, administrative offices and a cafeteria was built. By the 1970s, the Ocean View School District had grown to 25 schools! Huntington Beach was the fastest growing city in the United States during this time.
 

 

School Bell plaque at District Office

The school bell was donated by the class of 1956 to the District and now proudly sits in front of the District Offices at 17200 Pinehurst Lane, formerly Lark View, with a beautiful bronze plaque (photo to left). Today, the Ocean View School District is made up of more than 6,000 students, 1,000 employees, and 16 schools: three preschools, 10 elementary schools and three middle schools.

 

 

 

 

Ocean View School District Board Members Since 1912