McCardle
Elementary School
About
History of McCardle Elementary School
This school is located at 577 East Sierra and is named in honor of May
McCardle an early day outstanding teacher and educational leader in the
Fresno schools. Her forebears came to Fresno County with the early-day
seekers of gold in 1849. They went into the jurisprudence business moving
to Fresno from Millerton in 1875. Miss McCardle's sister Sarah was the longterm
Fresno County librarian.
Miss May McCardle began teaching in the Fresno County Schools in the
1890's, but soon joined the Fresno City Schools where she taught fine arts
and interior decorating at Fresno High School until her retirement in 1943.
She was a lifelong advocate of and protagonist for high quality education
through her activities, local and statewide, in the California Teachers
Association during its very early days. She was a "fighter for the rights of
children" as one of her contemporaries put it. She was persistent in her
advocacy of public education.
McCardle School is first listed as an operating campus in the Fresno Unified
School District directory of 1972-73.