[3] The first school was the home of William T. Clapp on 625 South Orange Grove Avenue.

In 1887 the school moved to the southeast corner of Marengo and Walnut on land donated by Benjamin "Don Benito" Wilson.

Rapid growth at the turn of the century led to the school moving to Hill and Colorado in 1912, which at the time was considered far and rural.

[3] In 1924, Pasadena voters approved another $3 million bond issue to build additional schools.

[5] Washington Middle School opened to serve the growing African American community in Northwest Pasadena.

[9] In 1938 John Muir Technical High School declined in enrollment and was renamed Pasadena Junior College West Campus.

In 1960 Sierra Madre voted to join the Pasadena Unified School District.

Many families wanted to attend the new school at Blair or leave for La Cañada, rather than stay at Muir, which was deteriorating.

[11] In 1970 Pasadena was ordered to desegregate all of its schools and began forced busing across the district.

In 1924 Washington Middle School opened to serve the growing African American community in Northwest Pasadena.

[12][13] This was a result of the city demographics of the time, which resulted in a "de facto" segregation, with a large proportion of the African American population attending schools in the northwest area of the city (which was largely African American), and the white students attending schools in the east and southern parts.

The documentary was filmed by 50 crews following the stories of various people in 28 schools for one day, intended to portray the positive and negative realities in a moderate-sized public education system.

[24] In 2010, the Pasadena Board of Education voted to close Burbank and Loma Alta Elementary School in the Altadena area.

[25] In 2011, PUSD discussed the possibility of relocating a special-needs preschool and several nonprofit organizations to the Burbank campus.

As of 2023 the closure of schools, especially Roosevelt Elementary, has resulted in an ongoing lawsuit by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF).

In 1991, enclave families in neighboring La Cañada petitioned to secede from Glendale Unified.

[31] Sierra Madre (1989–1991) In 1989, Sierra Madre began a secession campaign from PUSD to join neighboring Arcadia Unified for high school, citing lower test scores and increased violence in Pasadena schools, as well as general budget issues during the 1980s.

[35] As of 2023, and in contrast to the rest of the district, Sierra Madre Elementary and Middle schools have by far the highest in area attendance.

In 2010, the Pasadena Board of Education voted to close Burbank and Loma Alta Elementary Schools by the end of 2010–2011.

In 2011 the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) denied Altadena from leaving PUSD.

[36] Since then PUSD has continued to close more schools in Altadena and Northwest Pasadena, including Franklin Elementary in 2020.

[39] In September 2023, only Longfellow, Madison, and Muir were allocated significant funds, totalling $150 million.

[42] As of November 2023, approximately $350-470 million has been allocated to some schools, although there is concern that state finances may not match district spending.

[43] The district and contractors are in discussion of a fourth bond measure to coincide with the 2024 presidential election.

Starting in 2013, school board members are elected by geographical districts, which replaces a seat number and at-large, with the primary/runoff format, similar to the Pasadena City Council.