Whited Elementary set to close in June 2026

Douglas Whited Elementary School, Santa Rosa, California (Bella Guerrero / The Puma Prensa)

By Bella Guerrero, Staff Writer

In early January of this year, Rincon Valley trustees approved the closure of Whited Elementary Charter School’s closure. This was very disheartening for many Rincon Valley families and students who attend, or previously attended, Whited. In my personal experience, I previously attended Whited Elementary when I was a kid, from kindergarten all the way through sixth grade, until Covid-19 unfortunately cut my sixth grade year short in March of 2020. 

Hearing the news of its closure was very saddening for me to hear as I made many great memories at Whited Elementary. Some of the best memories from my childhood took place at Whited. 

When I first heard that Whited would be closing, my heart dropped. It was like hearing that your childhood home was about to get demolished because the owners could no longer afford to keep it up. Whited was a good school with wonderful teachers, they treated the kids kindly and genuinely cared about their students. 

One thing I especially liked about Whited was their afterschool daycare program. This was very helpful for many parents, including mine, because they had to work later than when the school day ended. Whited also had an excellent music program, many students were either in band or choir. The kids would learn to read music and play an instrument of their choice in a band, and once in a while they would have concerts for the parents and family of the kids to view. The choir would learn songs and perform them at concerts alongside the student band. 

It is very unfortunate that it has to get shut down because our school district can no longer afford to keep it running. Because of this closure, many teachers and staff at Whited will lose their job and have to find work somewhere else, and students will have to be transferred to a different school. 

It makes me wonder though, what are they going to do with an empty elementary school campus? Are they just going to leave it there and abandon it entirely? Demolish it? Before I left the school due to Covid-19, the school board had just given Whited a new playground, track, lunch table area, garden, and more. It is astounding to me how they would give the school so many updates, just to close it six years later.