History
Sylvan Park is located in the City of Van Nuys. Victory Boulevard to the North, Van Nuys Boulevard to the East, Burbank Street to the South, and Sepulveda Boulevard to the West encompass the Sylvan Park community. There are hundreds of businesses of different kinds in this area. The westside of the school community, east of Sepulveda Boulevard and west of Kester Avenue, consists primarily of single family homes. There are a few apartment complexes and duplex units in this area. The community members in this area tend to be original homeowners who have resided within the Sylavn Park School community for several years.
Sylvan Park is a traditional calendar school with about 950 students pre-K to 5. We have a staff of 46 teachers. There is a small but strong group of dedicated parents who are consistently volunteering at the school. The Parent Center, under the direction of its director, is constantly seeking ways to have parents become more involved.
The school has a long and interesting history. Some of the people in the community attended our school, when it first opened in 1924. Back then people recall that the school was originally named Lemona Avenue Elementary. They say that in those times the school had no asphalt, their play yard was a dirt field, and the school was surrounded by fields of cucumber and watermelon, and orchards of apricots. Former students recall that back then the school was made up of 3 or 4 bungalows, an auditorium, the office, a restroom, and showers for about a hundred kids. The school was originaly opened to help alleviate the overflow of students at Van Nuys Elementary.
Throughout the years, Sylvan Park has been known by many different names such as: Van Nuys Elementary #3, Lemona Avenue School, and finally Sylvan Park Elementary in 1924.