McNear: Mendocino, Fort Bragg vied for the first high school on the coast

Before 1893, Mendocino teens had limited access to high school-level education. While the Grammar School offered limited “advanced classes,” some teens began work after elementary school or left Mendocino to complete high school, staying with relatives in cities like San Francisco.

In 1891, California passed the Union High School Act, enabling small adjoining districts to pool resources and money for one high school. The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors proposed two high schools in the county, one in the county seat of Ukiah and one on the coast.