It is our pleasure to welcome you to the official Richard E. Byrd Elementary School website. Our goal is to provide current and relevant information about our school to the military families we serve today and those we look forward to welcoming to our campus in the future.

ADMIRAL RICHARD E. BYRD (1888 – 1957):
Richard Evelyn Byrd graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1912 and then on to flight training at Pensacola, Florida in 1917 which was during World War I. He was then assigned as the commanding Officer, U.S. Naval Stations in Canada, where he pioneered night and all-weather flying and also designed navigational instruments.

In 1926, he took a leave of absence from the Navy to lead an expedition to the Artic Circle. On May 9, he and his copilot, Floyd Bennett, announced to the world that they had flown over the North Pole. Both men were awarded the United States Congressional Medal of Honor for their effort.

In 1929, R.E. Byrd was the first to fly over the South Pole. In total, R.E. Byrd made five expeditions to Antarctica and contributed more to the geographic discovery of the Antarctica Continent than anyone else until mid 20th century.

Richard E. Byrd Elementary School opened on September 20, 1948 with the name Negishi Heights Elementary School. The name was changed to R.E. Byrd Elementary School on April 5, 1960.