First Avenue Middle School

In 1907, the original First Avenue schoolhouse, originally named as "Arcadia Grammar School", was built on the southwest corner of First Avenue and California Street. This schoolhouse had replaced temporary buildings, including a vacant saloon, which were used since Arcadia was incorporated in 1903. Originally, the schoolhouse consisted of two classrooms, each containing a teacher, which had grades 1-4 in one class, and 5-8 in another. Since the fire taking place on Memorial Day, being a federal holiday, no deaths occurred from the incident. == Academic overview ==

As of 2025, First Avenue Middle School is recorded to have a total of 679 students, of who which 62% scored over the proficient level of mathematics, while 77% scored over the proficient level of reading. Although having a worse overall math score than other schools within its district, both math and reading scores are above the average percentile of students in California overall. First Avenue is ranked #2-3 in overall academic performance within the Arcadia Unified School District, while it ranks #122 in California Middle Schools academically. Population The student population is close to half-and-half, with 48% of the students being female, while 52% are male. Majority of the student population are part of the minority group, making up 92% of the students who attend First Avenue. Over half of the students descend from Asian or Pacific Islander origin. == Renovations and changes ==

In 1933, the school was reconstructed after the Long Beach Earthquake had hit southern California. In the aftermath of the 1979 First Avenue Middle School fire, almost the entire building complex was destroyed. Although plans were discussed to demolish the building, many citizens suggested for its total reconstruction, which went through. In 1998, an elective-like program named the “Exploratory Wheel”, was added to First Avenue’s sixth grade curriculum as a way to provide students an idea of what electives they were interested in for future grades. In 2019, the American television series Trading Spaces came to First Avenue Middle School and Holly Avenue Elementary School to completely renovate the teacher lounges. == Accomplishments ==

In 2019, Karalee Nakatsuka, a history teacher for First Avenue Middle School, was officially declared as the 2019 California History Teacher of the Year, who had taught within the Arcadia Unified School District for over 30 years. As of late 2025, Ms. Nakatsuka is seen to still be teaching at First Avenue. First Avenue Middle School has won four California Distinguished Schools awards from the California Department of Education; once in 1990, two more times in 1992 and 1996, and most recently in 2024. == References ==