Nystrom School

Nystrom School

NPS photo/Luther Bailey

Quick Facts

Location:

Richmond, California

MANAGED BY:

West Costa County School District

Nystrom School: During WWII

During World War II, Nystrom School, along with Pullman, Lincoln, and Stege Schools, faced severe overcrowding due to their proximity to defense housing projects. The influx of new students from these housing areas strained the existing educational infrastructure. To address this issue, Nystrom School underwent significant construction, tripling its number of classrooms. Despite this effort, funding constraints prevented similar expansions at other schools in the district.

As a result, many Richmond schools resorted to holding double and even triple daily sessions to accommodate the burgeoning student population. By 1944, only sixty additional classrooms had been built across the district. This led to an average elementary school enrollment of sixty-seven children per classroom, significantly higher than the ideal student-to-teacher ratio. The efforts to manage the overcrowding at Nystrom School highlight the broader challenges faced by educational institutions in rapidly growing urban areas during wartime.

Note: Located at 230 Harbour Way South, Richmond, California, Nystrom Elementary School remains an active educational institution. Therefore, tours are not available. Visitors are welcome to drive by the school, but please be mindful of local laws and safety regulations when viewing this historic site.

• Audio Stop: Nystrom School

  
  

  This brief audio program provides a look at Nystrom school, which was a part of the WWII Home front history.

  Credit / Author:

  NPS/Luther Bailey

  Audio Transcript

  Nystrom School, along with Pullman, Lincoln, and Stege Schools, were overcrowded during WWII because of their proximity to the defense housing projects and the large proportion of new students who lived there. With construction, Nystrom was able to triple the number of classrooms.

  Because funding was unavailable for construction of new classrooms in other facilities, Richmond schools held double and even triple daily sessions. The construction of only sixty additional rooms by 1944 led the average elementary school enrollment to rise to sixty-seven children per classroom.