Welcome to Rice Elementary!

Lillian J. Rice Elementary School is located in the southwest section of Chula Vista. It was built in 1938 and consists of three wings of self-contained classrooms, a media center, a multipurpose room, and administration offices. We are in our second year of transitioning into a Dual Language Immersion Program. Rice also has two Head Start classes, as well as a therapeutic preschool (Mi Escuelita) on site in conjunction with South Bay Community Services. Rice is one of three schools in the district that hosts a Family Resource Center on campus to provide social services to the school and the surrounding community. In addition, we house the Rice Clinic which supports the medical needs of our community.

Our school namesake

Lilian Jeannette Rice (1889 - 1938) was an eco-conscious, early 20th-century American architect working primarily in the California Spanish Colonial Revival style. Several of her works are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. In 1906, she entered the University of California and successfully completed her Bachelor of Letters Degree in Social Science with a major in architecture in 1910. In 1921, Rice was chosen by Richard Requa, of the firm of Requa and Jackson, to be the lead planner on the new development at Rancho Santa Fe in San Diego County. In 1931 she became a member of the San Diego Chapter of the American Institute of Architecture, one of only a few women admitted up to that time (Wikipedia).