William Daylor High School was the Elk Grove district's first continuation high school and was aimed at meeting the special needs of high-risk youth. The school, located in the old Isabelle Jackson elementary school, began with a few classes of 15 and 16-year-old students. These were students who were having difficulty meeting the expectations of a large and comprehensive high school. For a time the building was also used by Elk Grove's first Head Start classes, along with the William Daylor students.

 

The name, William Daylor, comes from an original Californian who had been a partner with Jared Dixon Sheldon in the Omochumnes Land Grant. His name was well suited for a continuation school as he left his ship in Monterey in the 1840s and refocused his life to become both a gold miner and a farmer/entrepreneur at Sloughhouse. His untimely death of cholera in 1851 ended his early day California career. The staff of Daylor High School feel that any student, just as William Daylor did, can refocus their life and be successful in all their endeavors.