Brentwood Union School District

The elementary and middle schools of Brentwood belong to the Brentwood Union School District (BUSD), which has a long history that begins before Brentwood was even a town.

The Brentwood Union School District was founded as the Brentwood Elementary School District in 1878, according to the current superintendent, Dana Eaton, Ph.D.

At the time, the district consisted of a one-room schoolhouse that was expanded nine years later in 1887. This school became known as the Brentwood Grammar School, but in 1924 students moved to the Brentwood-Deer Valley School, according to the East Contra Costa Historical Society.

Brentwood-Deer Valley School was the original Brentwood Elementary that we know today and was built across the street from the current Liberty High School campus at 929 Second St. This campus was used until 1997 when the current Brentwood Elementary was built.

It would not be until 1944 when merging with a different Liberty School that the Brentwood Union School District was formed.

The district now includes eight elementary schools and three middle schools. Many of them are either named after prominent local people or have specific buildings named after them on campus.

The first elementary school that remains in use today is Brentwood Elementary. The second elementary school to be built was Garin Elementary named after Henry P. Garin, who was a farmer and head of a large agricultural company. It opened in 1969. The third school was Ron Nunn School named after Ron Nunn Sr., a farmer, developer, and community leader. The fourth was Loma Vista Elementary, which opened in 2000. Fifth was Krey Elementary, opened in 2002, and named after R. Paul

Krey, a local dentist. The sixth was Pioneer Elementary School. It opened in 2004. The seventh to open was Marsh Creek Elementary in 2005. The eighth and newest of the elementary schools opened in 2010; Mary Casey Black Elementary is named after Mary Black, a long-time teacher and administrator.

Compared to the elementary schools, each of the three middle schools is named after individuals who worked in the district. The first to open was Edna Hill Middle School in 1953. Hill was an educator throughout her career. Bristow Middle School opened in 1995, and is named after William B. Bristow, a long-time educator. He also served as superintendent for 25 years. The last middle school, Adams Middle School, opened in 2006 and is named after J. Douglas Adams, a teacher as well as superintendent.

Eaton said the district has been working to commemorate those whom the schools and buildings are named after by creating a “District Honorees” page on their website. “We’re going through and doing that for all the people,” said Eaton. They have only a few, with the most recent covering Mary Casey Black, but they are working to add more.

To help with Brentwood’s population growth in recent years, Eaton said that a priority is to “keep our facilities up to date. We believe that having good facilities -- high-quality facilities -- also make for a good learning environment.”

As superintendent, Eaton said he works to ensure that all his schools are places where students and staff know they belong; “where everybody is connected, where everybody feels like there is something there that connects them to school.”

“I am proud to work in a place where the board really prioritizes music, art, and sports programs,” Eaton said. “Those types of things keep people connected to the school.”