History
On September 12, 1940, Edward Harris, Jr. was born to Luella and Edward Harris, Sr., the fourth of five children and the only son. Young Ed grew up in Tougaloo, Mississippi and graduated from Madison Rosenwald High School in Madison.

Mr. Harris joined the Air Force and continued his education at Yuba College and Chico State University, where he graduated with a degree in Biological Science in 1970.

Ed Harris began his career at Campbell Soup Company as a chemist and moved to the Elk Grove area. Mr. Harris is married to Imogene Harris and they have two children, Daphne Michelle and Darryl Edward. The children attended Charles Mack Elementary School.

As Mr. Harris became involved in his children’s education in the Elk Grove School District, he felt a desire to become more involved in the policy making of the District. Edward Harris, Jr. was elected to his first term on the Elk Grove Board of Education in November of 1979 and remained on the Board for 21 years.

During his tenure, Mr. Harris served as President of the Board and was instrumental in helping to build several new schools and establishing high standards for all students.

Monterey Trail High School and Edward Harris, Jr. Middle School are located on 90 acres utilizing the district's "7-12" campus concept. Monterey Trail High School has 81 classrooms and space for 2,250 students, and Edward Harris, Jr. Middle School has 47 classrooms and space for 1,300 students both following a traditional schedule. Each school will have a gymnasium and a multipurpose room, but share the library between the two campuses.

Monterey Trail's mascot is the Mustang, and Edward Harris, Jr.'s is the Colt. The colors for the high school are green, gold and black; and the colors for the middle school are green, gold and white.

Monterey Trail High and Edward Harris, Jr. Middle schools are located next to each other on the same property to provide a continuous educational program for students grades 7 through 12. One of the primary advantages to the 7 -12 concept is to give middle school students the opportunity to challenge themselves by taking high school courses. The close proximity also allows teachers and administrators from both schools to work closely together to provide a seamless educational plan. The 7-12 concept also helps foster a close 6-year connection with the parent and business community. Middle and high school students can also participate in supervised tutoring and peer mentoring programs when the campuses are so closely linked.