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Various School Information

Between touring with his brothers and being tutored by Rose Fine on the road, employed by Motown to take care of the boy’s school, Michael attended several schools. In Gary, Michael went to the Garnett Elementary school where he famously sang “Climb Every Mountain” in front of his mother and grandfather. When Michael took a shine to one of his teachers during his early years, he used to take a piece of his mother’s jewellery to give them as a gift. Michael attended the Gardner Street Elementary School as a 6th grade student when he was 11 years old. One of his friends back then was Berry Gordy’s son Kerry.

Jocelyne Danchick, childhood friend, Daily Mirror

Love first touched Michael at the tender age of 11 - when a schoolgirl as lonely and shy as he was helped him get over the snubs of other kids.

Jocelyne Danchick was the same age and the only person to befriend the Jackson 5 singer at Hollywood's Gardner Street Elementary School in 1970.

The successful choreographer spoke for the first time about her friendship for the boy king by revealing: "We had the biggest crush on each other."

And Jocelyne smiled: "Of course, at 11 we didn't smooch all the time. But there was lots of flirting.

"He was timid but the sweetest, funniest kid. And though we never declared our love - you don't at that age - we both had feelings."

Jocelyne, now happily married and with her own dance company in France, herself felt out of place at school - until Michael arrived.

She explained: "My mom was a fashion designer with lots of wild friends like Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.

"I never fitted in and it was the same for Michael when he moved from Gary, Indiana, to LA after he and his brothers signed for Motown. The other kids ignored him because of his fame and quietness- and me because I was a shy flower child.

"So while we weren't in the same class, we still felt a connection and just hit it off. You know what first love is like. We both had twinkles in our eyes.

"Posing for our end of school picture, he even got me to stand right behind him.

"He really proved his sweetness, though, when we had to sing in front of our parents before we moved on to high school. I didn't want to embarrass Michael by being out of tune. But he nudged me and squeezed my hand to let me know it was OK."

The two lost touch when Michael went off on tour.

But a year later, as Jocelyne and her family were leaving for a new life in Europe, they ran into each other. She said: "I never expected that would be the last time I'd see him."

Chris Cadman, Michael Jackson Maestro (continued)

Following this Michael attended the Walton High School, where he auditioned for a part in the Guys & Dolls school production. Walton, however, closed in 1972 and Michael moved to the Montclair School in Van Nuys. From the age of 14 he went through the 9th and 10th grades. It was there he gained one of his most treasured reports, receiving A Grades in English Grammar, History, Maths and Study Methods, A B minus in French and English a B plus.

“Peterborough Examiner” (July 2, 2009) (mirror) (archived mirror)

A gated private school hidden far from the view of the paparazzi. It was here, on the campus of the Montclair College Preparatory School, that Michael Jackson had a fleeting glimpse of the life of a normal teenager.

Montclair Prep, as it is known, is nestled in the San Fernando Valley in the middle of nowhere. From the outside, the school could be mistaken for a bunker. Visitors have to speak through an intercom before being let in. Once inside, it's like being transported into an episode of Beverly Hills 90210.

Founded in 1953, the school has 400 students and has welcomed many children of the rich and famous. Cher fooled around with Sonny in the schoolyard here. Frank Sinatra Jr., Aaron Spelling's kids and those of Berry Gordy, the father of the Motown label, all went to Montclair. Sylvester Stallone's son (with his ever-present bodyguards) and Nicole Richie are all recent alumni.

However, their most famous student remains Michael Jackson. He came to the school when he was 14 and stayed two years (9th and 10th grade). His parents wanted him to have some semblance of a normal life. Tuition cost $5,000 back then and will set you back $16,000 today.

Jackson was already a star then, but he didn't let it show.

"He was a super kid," said the school's principal, Mark Simpson. "He was always making jokes; he wanted to be like everyone else. He seemed happy back then. As soon as he left the school walls he went back to being the superstar."

George Giannini, the school football coach, tried in vain to sign Jackson up for the team. "Still, he was good," Giannini remembered. "He told me, 'You know coach, I'd be a disappointment to the team because I have to leave for that tour in Tokyo with the band.' I told him, 'Michael, your singing career is going to end soon and you have to think about a Plan B.' I think I goofed up!"

The young Jackson was a very good student, very curious and popular with the girls. He would even treat the school to some dance moves now and then.

"Michael wore a uniform like all the students, but we gave him a bit of freedom. He could have long hair," Simpson said.

The singer was constantly surrounded by his bodyguards, except while he was in class. "Every morning he was dropped off an hour before the start of classes by a chauffeur," Simpson said while looking through the 1973 yearbook. "He would go and see his friend Jon Blosdale, who would finish his homework at the last minute in his car. Sometimes he had to chase Michael away because he would push all the buttons and ask too many questions."

The yearbook shows a smiling Jackson with his famous afro mingling with the other students. A far different person than the one he would eventually become. So what happened?

"I think in all his life Michael never had a childhood. It looks like he tried to recreate a childhood for himself," Simpson said.

He would be picked up every day after dinner to go rehearse with the Jackson 5.

"His father Joe Jackson was very strict -- he didn't give him any leeway," Simpson noted. "One day, Michael got in trouble, not a big thing, but Joe Jackson came to the office furious and started yelling at him. You could see that Michael was very intimidated by his father. My uncle (who was the principal then) had to intervene to calm things down."

But Jackson was very close to his mother Katherine. "He idolized her. She was the saint."

Chris Cadman, Michael Jackson Maestro (continued)

One of Michael’s friends at the Montclair College Preparatory School was Jon Blosdale.

‘I was a junior when Michael Jackson was a freshman (in 1973). And every morning he and Marlon would get dropped off real early. I was in my car cramming to finish my homework before class and Michael would come hang out with me,'' said Jon Blosdale, '74, who is now a successful television and film producer. ` ` At first I thought it was cool, like, ` I'm hanging with Michael Jackson.' He was a really nice kid, too.

‘But after a while, it kind of got annoying because he always had to push all the buttons in the car and ask what they did. I was trying to get my work done so sometimes I'd have to kick him out of the car.’

...Michael’s final years were spent at the Cal prep School, which was attended by amongst others, Danny Bonaduce of the Partridge Family and Marlon Brando’s son Christian. He was voted the Best Dressed in Class in 1976.

Julien’s Auctions sold a signed copy of the Cal Prep 1976 Yearbook for $ 3,520. It was signed: "To a really nice girl, love Michael Jackson."

Chicago Tribune (February 29, 1984) (archived)

"I remember scolding Michael on several occasions", said Felicia Childress, one of his elementary school teachers. "I didn't realize he was touring."

When he was in class ("an average student", say his teachers), Michael brought his famous showmanship with him.

"He had his idiosyncrasies even then", said Gladys Johnson, the school's former principal. "He had to wear a hat. Sometimes it was a plantation hat, sometimes a cap. He was forever walking down the halls with his hat on."

...When Michael heard a teacher sing the school song over the intercom, he vowed to learn her identity. He did, Johnson recalls, then went to her and said he was going to marry her.

Perhaps Michael himself knew from the start that his ear, his dancing, his showmanship would take him to the top. "I don't have to know my arithmetic facts", he told a teacher who implored him to study the subject harder. "My manager's going to take care of my money."