Peabody Charter School opened on August 27, 1928 after receiving a generous gift of the land from Fredrick Forrest Peabody, founder of the Arrow Shirt Company and local public school benefactor. The school began with six classrooms and 115 children and has undergone three major renovations and a six-fold population increase in its 90 year history. The main building consisted of the two lateral wings and main entry that face Calle Noguera, with open-air covered hallways along the rear side.
 
In 1937, portions of the covered hallways were enclosed with glass walls to create offices and extra classrooms.
 
In 1950, in the midst of the WWII baby-boom, Peabody jumped from 210 students to almost 500. The result was a major renovation of the campus, including the construction of the auditorium, the kindergarten wing, the cafeteria, and a new curved wing of 6 classes with adjoining patios. It was at this time that Calle Laureles was closed to traffic and Peabody’s campus was expanded eastward to the right-of-way of Vista De La Cumbre.
 
The last major campus renovation was in 1973 to meet earthquake requirements of the Field Act.
 
In 1993, Peabody School was granted a “charter” from the State of California, establishing a new kind of partnership between the state, the local district and the school. Functioning as a charter school allows Peabody the authority, flexibility and latitude to provide innovative curriculum development and instruction. Peabody Charter School is autonomous and responsible for all things pertaining to the governance of the school, including on-site administration, staff development, curriculum development, methodology and delivery of instruction to our ethnically and socio-economically diverse student population.
 
Our most recent addition, The Exploration Center, opened in December of 2004 and houses three sections; a science wing, a computer lab, and a library, each allowing the school to fulfill its role in serving our community. With dynamic lessons during the day and engaging after school and evening programs for students and adults, the Exploration Center has quickly become an important community resource.

Mission Statement

Peabody Charter School will work collaboratively to create a safe, caring, innovative, and challenging academic program to prepare students for life by developing both academic and non-academic life skills.