Doubly Historic Spring Valley Science Elementary School Detail San Francisco 9 Stock Photography

The Doubly Historic Spring Valley Science Elementary School was one of seven schools founded in California during the Gold Rush days and early Statehood, founded in San Francisco in 1852. This building is a replacement after the 1906 Earthquake. Of those seven, only Spring Valley is left, making it the oldest school in the state.The schools name is in reference to the natural underground springs that had been found here at the time. When President Chester Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1852, it was to keep Chinese Laborers out of the country, it was then used by the San Francisco Board of Education to keep out Chinese students. They, like the Black students were segregated to separate but unequal schools. It all came to a head when American born Mamie Tape tried to enroll in 1884 and was barred for being Chinese. It went all the way up to the Federal Supreme Court and the now landmark 1954 decision in Brown v Board of Education that any discrimination in public education was unconstitutional. Although that case was from a different state, it held nationwide implications. At the time this school was built, this was still a very rural setting and very pretty. Now sandwiched between homes, security fencing is necessary. As seen 24 May 2024.