Sylvan School

Sylvan School, built in 1862, was one of the first rural schools in Sacramento County, but was not the first school in Citrus Heights area. The first school was a private school located on the Cross Farm. At the time it was necessary for settlers to support a private school before becoming eligible for public funds. Sylvan School was originally located on the northwest corner of Auburn Boulevard and Sylvan Road. Alfred Spooner was the first teacher and had forty students. The school property was divided by an imaginary line from north to south. The girls stayed on one side of the line and the boys on the other., The original school had white clapboard siding (narrow wooden siding) and green shutters. The interior consisted of a single classroom with two small closets. In addition to serving as a schoolhouse, the building was used for community meetings, church services, dance parties and a voting place., In 1926 Guy Van Maren spearheaded a successful bond issue to construct a new Sylvan School. In order to make room for the new and larger facility, the original schoolhouse was relocated to Sylvan Road to be used as a community center. It was donated to the community in 1927 by Adolph Van Maren and is held in a private trust.