San Rafael Elementary School
Pasadena Unified School District 1090 Nithsdale Rd, Pasadena, CA 91105

Schoolyard Designer: Amigos de los Ríos

From volunteer plantings to one of the greenest campuses in Pasadena Unified.

San Rafael Elementary's greening journey began in 2022 with a mini-grant from the U.S. Green Building Council LA, support from Amigos de los Ríos, and parent and student volunteers who replanted empty campus beds with native plants and three new trees.

In 2023, the SRE PTA Greening Committee partnered with Amigos de los Ríos and Arlington Garden to transform the school's kindergarten outdoor area with native plants, trees, raised beds, and hugelkultur. That same year, SRE volunteers worked with Amigos de los Ríos on a successful proposal to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's Green Schoolyards Program, which funded greening improvements across five PUSD campuses: Muir High School and Octavia Butler, Willard, Jackson, Altadena, and San Rafael elementary schools.

Implementation at San Rafael began in 2024 and included asphalt removal, bioswales, a new permeable path, and the planting of 20 trees on site. In 2025, the SRE Greening Committee worked with ActiveSGV to secure funding for five log benches made from Angel City Lumber, as well as a 100-foot-long mural featuring native flora and fauna by Eagle Rock-based artist Elizabeth Jean of Mustard Beetle.

Today, San Rafael Elementary has the second-highest tree canopy coverage in student zones among PUSD campuses, at 16%.