John Baldwin Elementary School on Brookside Drive in Danville

John Baldwin Elementary School, located on the north side of the greater Greenbrook area in Danville, California, serves grades K-5 in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. It is among the few public elementary schools in California to receive a distinguished Great Schools Rating of 10 out of 10.

The school was completely demolished and beautifully rebuilt in the last couple of years and is surrounded by greenbelts and next to the Iron Horse Trail.  Greenbrook neighborhood is a popular area to live; it was built in the late seventies and is characterized by wide streets, good size homes and lots, and many mature trees. There are many greenbelts and parks; Osage Park is the largest park in the heart of Greenbrook with many facilities for sports activities or leisure.

Baldwin, as it is called by the people in Greenbrook, is a popular school. Just like Greenbrook Elementary parents are actively involved in the school activities. It is this great sense of being part of a big family that helps in creating a wonderful atmosphere and keeps building on the success of the school. Because of the location next to the Iron Horse Trail many children walk or ride their bikes to school; the great Californian weather of course helps as well.

For most of the year the children can eat their lunch at the outdoor open pavilion which is located next to the playground. When my son and I were working on a school project about the history of Danville and the San Ramon Valley we learned a lot about John Baldwin.

The school is named after the distinguished Northern Californian, John Finley Baldwin, Jr., a six-time member of the House of Representatives-R. He was born in Oakland, California on June 28, 1915, and graduated from San Ramon Valley Union High School in Danville. He attended the University of California at Berkeley (UCB) in 1935, and graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in accounting and finance. John Baldwin served in World War II and was discharged as a lieutenant colonel in October 1946. He returned to his native San Francisco Bay Area to attend UCB once again, this time receiving a law degree from Boalt Hall School of Law in 1949. He served in the House of Representatives from 1955 until his death in 1966.

John Baldwin Elementary School is located at 741 Brookside Drive in Danville close to Osage Park.