History of Moorpark Unified School District
Although Moorpark did not become a town until 1900, two earlier settlements, Epworth, located northwest of town, and Fremontville, located to the southwest, were early settlements in the area. Each of the settlements had a one-room schoolhouse that served the children of these two farming communities.
Construction of the Fremontville school began in 1895 and the school was completed the following year. It was built on two hilltop acres located in the area that is now called Peach Hill, at the intersection of Peach Hill and Rolling Knoll roads. The land was donated by local rancher Pierre Agoure. The school was open to students from the surrounding areas to ensure an enrollment large enough to qualify for a public school teacher.
The town of Moorpark was established in 1900 when a Los Angeles real estate developer named Robert W. Poindexter began to develop a large tract of land that he owned between Epworth and Fremontville. Poindexter gave the Southern Pacific Railroad an easement through his property and a strip of land on which to construct a depot. By August of that year, a post office was established in the newly constructed depot and a general mercantile store and hotel were moved from Fremontville to the town site.
With settlements on either side of Moorpark to provide a customer base, a cluster of businesses grew up around the railroad depot. Homes were built around the shops and within a few years a school was needed. In March of 1904, residents of Moorpark petitioned the Ventura County Board of Supervisors to change the name of the Fremontville School District to Moorpark. By August of that year, the name change was approved and the schoolhouse was being moved from its location in Peach Hill to the northwest corner of Charles and Walnut Streets, which at that time was the center of town.
As the population of the town grew, the schoolhouse was enlarged and extra buildings were added to accommodate the additional students. In 1928, it was decided that a new elementary school was needed and one was constructed
on land purchased from the Flory family. The school, which originally served students in grades 1-8, was later named Flory School. As the population of Moorpark continued to grow, new classrooms and an assembly hall were added. In the late 1950's, space was at a premium due to high enrollment and first grade students were placed on a half-day schedule. The district decided that a second elementary school was needed and construction began on land purchased by the district on Poindexter Avenue. The new school opened on September 5, 1961 and was named Poindexter School. In the late 1980's, the name of the school was changed to Chaparral Middle School.
Since Moorpark's elementary school only served students through eighth grade, residents realized the importance of the town having its own high school. In 1909, townspeople petitioned the county to create a high school district in Moorpark. When their request was denied, the community created their own private high school in 1912. The school was housed in
the Moorpark Women's Fortnightly Clubhouse on Charles Street and, although tuition was free, each student had to provide $10 a year to cover the cost of the teacher. Finally, in February of 1920, Moorpark voters approved a school bond in the amount of $85,000 to cover the cost of constructing a new public high school. On October 30, 1920, the cornerstone of the Moorpark Memorial Union High School was laid and construction began at a location just northwest of town (the present site of Walnut Canyon School.) This structure served the community of Moorpark until the late 1930's when it was demolished and another school was built in approximately the same location. In the mid-1980's, work began on a new high school on 48 acres of land on Tierra Rejada Road. The new school, now officially renamed Moorpark High School, opened its doors in 1988.
In 1980, Moorpark voters approved the unification of Moorpark's elementary and high school districts and the new district was named the Moorpark Unified School District. At that time, the housing boom in Moorpark that had begun in the early 1980's made it necessary for the district to begin construction of many new schools to serve the town's growing population.
| School | Established |
| Arroyo West Active Learning Academy | 1991 |
| Campus Canyon College Preparatory Academy | 1987 |
| Chaparral Middle School | 1961 |
| Community High School | 1982 |
| Flory Academy | 1928 |
| High School at Moorpark College | 2000 |
| Mesa Verde Middle School | 1994 |
| Moorpark High School | 1920 |
| Mountain Meadows 21st Century Learning Academy | 1987 |
| Peach Hill Academy | 1984 |
| Walnut Canyon School | 1998 |
Since unification in 1980, many Moorpark residents have taken time out of their busy schedules to serve as members of the Moorpark Unified School District's Board of Trustees.
| Board Member | Term(s) |
| Carla Robertson | 1980-1989 |
| David Gutierrez | 1980-1985 |
| Bill McMahon | 1980-1987 |
| Charles Schwabauer | 1980-1985 |
| Roger Beaulieu | 1980-1983 |
| Thelia Miller | 1983-1987 |
| Lynda Kira | 1985-1989 |
| Patty Waters | 1985-1991 |
| Dennis Hatland | 1985-1987 |
| Cynthia Hubbard-Dow | 1987-1991 |
| Tom Baldwin | 1987-2006 |
| Sam Nainoa | 1989-1993 |
| Pam Castro | 1989-1994 |
| Greg Barker | 1991-2016 |
| Clint Harper | 1991-1998 |
| Gary Cabriales |
1993-2002, 2003-2004 |
| David Pollock | 1994-2010 |
| Mindy Yaras | 1999-2006 |
| Chris Evans | 2002-2003 |
| Ron LaGuardia | 2004-2014 |
| Bruce Thomas | 2006-2016 |
| Jeff Donabedian | 2016-2020 |
| Ute Van Dam | 2008-current |
| Nathan Sweet | 2010-current |
| Robert Perez | 2014-current |
| Scott Dettorre | 2016-current |
| Amy Adams | 2020-current |
All photos courtesy of the Moorpark Historical Society