The first school in Atwater began in 1878 in the upstairs section of the granary building on the corner of Third Street and Atwater Blvd. Miss Lottie Swain was the first schoolteacher. This building burned down in that same year and Miss Swain moved the school into her home in the end of the warehouse.
     The next school was a small building located near the present day Veteran’s Memorial Building on Fifth Street and Broadway, across the street from our current district office. In 1881, there were 18 students.
     In 1885, John W. Mitchell deeded land for a new school located on First Street between Grove and Juniper. This was the original Mitchell school and had a bell on the roof. The first trustees were Mrs. Emma Swain, Mr. M.D. Atwater, and Mr. T.J. Reynolds.
     A new school was needed in 1903 as the town grew. A two-room school was built at Atwater Boulevard. and Winton Way. Two teachers were employed for about 65 students. This school was used until 1921.
      By this time, the town had again outgrown the school and a new Mitchell School was built on Fifth Street between Broadway and Cedar on the site of our current district office. In the beginning, it had four classrooms and a large auditorium. With the steady growth of Atwater, more classrooms were added over the years.
     In 1945, great changes happened to the school in Atwater. First, Arundel and Fruitland Schools joined with Mitchell School and then Atwater-Jordan and half of Arena School joined too and they formed the Mitchell Union Elementary School District. In 1949, the district was renamed the Atwater Elementary School District.
another change that happened in 1945 was the purchase of a 20-acre piece of land located between Grove Avenue, Fifth Street, and Juniper Avenue. This is the current site of Mitchell K-6 built in 1947, and Mitchell Senior Elementary School built in 1953. The “old” Mitchell School, on Fifth Street and Cedar, ceased operation in 1953 and was later torn down.
     Due to continuing population growth in Atwater, new schools were added during the 1950’s. Bellevue was built in 1953. Shaffer School, an award winning school for innovative design, was opened in 1957. Elmer Wood School was built in 1958. Aileen Colburn School was added in 1963, and Thomas Olaeta School was opened in 1966.
     Throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s, each of these schools grew in size as permanent construction and portable classrooms were added. The last school to be built in the previous century was Peggy Heller School, which opened in 1995. A one-room Community Day School was opened in 2003.
     “A tradition of excellence” characterizes the history of education in Atwater. This tradition is exemplified in the awards earned by individual schools. The following schools have been recognized as distinguished schools by the California Department of Education:

Thomas Olaeta Elementary School 1987
Mitchell Senior Elementary School 1988 and 1990
Shaffer Elementary School 1997
Elmer Wood Elementary School 2000
Peggy Heller Elementary School 2003

In 2001, Shaffer Elementary School was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School.

The tradition continues.