Eleven hundred students at the Will C. Crawford High School agree on this day with Principal Mary McMullen that there’s nothing like having things brand, spanking new. Spanking, perhaps, is not the word to describe anything scholastic. “Not at Crawford, anyway.” Mrs. McMullen said. “We have a wonderful bunch and I’m sure we’ll be proud of all our students.’

The opening of Crawford High, at its 32.8-acre site at 55th Street and Orange Avenue, relieved the over burden enrollment at the city’s largest high school-- Hoover High, at 4474 El Cajon Boulevard. Crawford High was named for the late superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District, Dr.Will C. Crawford. Crawford High is the city’s eighth regular public day high school.

It got 600 10th graders from Horace Mann Junior High School, at 4345 54th Street, who normally would have enrolled at Hoover High. This first group of students consisted of only two grades. With an addition of about 400 11th graders who were transferred from Hoover. This first year only had two grades-- 10th and 11th. In the following year of 1958, the 11th graders become seniors (12th graders) and bring the school to full size.

The school had 45 teachers on the staff, 25 whom were transferred from other high schools in the city. Principal McMullen said, the 52 classroom school is designed for a capacity of 1,700 students. She also commented that “within two years the enrollment was expected to be about 2,000 students.” The main challenge faceing the students and staff at the brand new Crawford High was that the campus was without complete plumbing. This was a result of a pre-opening day summer plumbers strike, the plumbing was not completed in the school’s gymnasium, cafeteria and auditorium.

The new Principal, Mary McMullen, was assigned to the Crawford site at the end of the January 1956 semester. She used her time wisely from the date of her transfer to the opening day, to hire teachers, support staff and making other arrangements. Including the procurement of 10,000 text books. Mrs. McMullen’s Crawford High assignment was her second new high school in 10 years. In 1945, she opened Lincoln High, at 150 South 49th Street.