Welcome to Whittier Elementary School!

The present Whittier school opened its doors in September 1954. It replaced the original 1912 Whittier Industrial School, which was briefly named the Wendell Philips School in 1915, then finally permanently named Whittier in 1917. Whittier Elementary is centrally located on the “Flats” of Butte occupying a full city block.

As with each school that comprises the Butte School District, the students at Whittier enjoy great teachers who hold all students to the highest standards of learning. All students are challenged to meet or exceed the current standards of learning with the deeply embedded belief that all students can become life-long learners when given the building blocks for laying a solid foundation. The students, faculty, and parents are sources of encouragement and guidance for the accomplishments of their students scholastically, as well as in extracurricular activities.

Whittier school ground includes a park named for one of the distinguished past principals, George Parrett. This park has a small baseball field, tennis courts, and soccer field available to students as well as a small city ice rink that is flooded each year for public use. Whittier is one of only two Butte elementary schools that have a separate gym and lunch room. Whittier’s gym, named for Kenneth Julson, principal from 1945-1968, used to host all the city’s elementary basketball games due to the size and seating for spectators.

Quick Facts

Principal: Josh Schad
Grade Level: K-6
Enrollment Count: 412
School Hours:
K-2: 8:20 - 2:00
3-6:  8:20 - 3:00

Attraction/Focus: Whittier has a close neighborly environment serving over 400 students, 311 families, with only a small portion of the total population being bused to the site.

Average Class Size: 18:1

Teaching Staff: Approximately 71% of faculty members have advanced degrees.

Support Services:

• Speech/Language Therapist
• Psychologist
• Physical Therapist
• Occupational Therapist

Computer/Technology: 100% of all classrooms are networked and have access to high speed internet. 100% of teachers have email and voice messaging accounts. Smartboard in each classroom.

Networked Computer Ratio:
Student Ratio: 3:1