The Division of Pagadian City holds office at San Jose Heights, Barangay San Jose, Pagadian City, along the southernmost part of Sabate Street with a splendid rolling terrain majestically overlooking the little Hong Kong of the South. The Division was established in 1971, with Lorenzo D. Paulo as its first appointed Schools Division Superintendent. Since then, there have been fourteen (14) Schools Division Superintendents who took turns in holding the gearshift of the Division. Prior to the establishment of the Division of Pagadian City, it was Dr. Amirbahal H. Aluk, the superintendent of the Province of Zamboanga del Sur who initiated the separation of Pagadian City from the Zamboanga del Sur Division. When the municipality of Pagadian was chartered into a city by virtue of the Republic Act No. 5478 also known as the Charter of the City of Pagadian signed by President Ferdinand E. Marcos on April 14, 1969, Dr. Aluk took the courage in the establishment of Pagadian City division as a separate entity from the Zamboanga del Sur Division along with the four Division Supervisors namely: Dr. Lorenzo D. Paulo, Dr. Priscilla Gonzales, Dr. Erlinda C. Salera, and Dr. David B. Cartojano. For the separation to be fully realized there was a need to transfer 30 teachers from the Division of Zamboanga del Sur to Pagadian City Division. Apparently, in the year 1971, Dr. Lorenzo D. Paulo passed the superintendents’ test and was then formally installed as the first Superintendent of Pagadian City Division. The Schools Division of Pagadian City was then formally established as a separate entity from Zamboanga Del Sur Division on June 8, 1970. The Division Office was then situated in the old ZSPCTA Building in Barangay San Francisco, Pagadian City. The new division consisted initially with 28 public elementary schools, and 2 secondary schools. After one decade, the Division greatly expanded due to the steady population growth of Pagadian City and the influx of home seekers from various parts of the neighboring municipalities. Dr. Asinudin S. Saipudin (1974-1979) assumed to office and became the second Pagadian City Schools Division Superintendent and retired eventually in 1979. It was during his time when the four known districts were created namely: Balangasan District, Sta. Lucia District, San Pedro District, and Central District. In 1980-1982, Dr. Pastor Serrato became the new Schools Division Superintendent. After his retirement in1982, Dr. Abdulmalik H. Indanan (1983-1986) took the post and transferred to the province of Zamboanga del Sur a year after. In1987, Dr. Amirbahal H. Aluk obtained the position and ran the division for four years. During his reign, the 4 previously known districts were amended into five districts with the names City Central District, South District, North District, East District, and West District that is being made use of up to the present. With the appointment of Dr. Beatriz G. Mong to Superintendent in 1991, the Division had grown to 60 elementary schools and 18 secondary schools. In 1995, OIC SDS Dr Elita R. Herrera shortly took over the post with the same number of public elementary and secondary schools. During the administration of Dr. Manuel Muyargas (1996-1999), there were a total of 22 610 public elementary pupils and 11 032 public secondary students. Dr. Muyargas’ successor, Dr. Avelina E. Eguia (1999-2003) managed the division having 24 951 pupils and 12 190 secondary students and retired in the year 2003. Dr. Aurora C. Baang then took over in 2003 but retired immediately in the same year. The eleventh Schools Division Superintendent, Dr. Erlinda C. Salera (2003-2008) then took over. She had under her administration and supervision 60 public elementary and 18 public secondary schools in Pagadian City having 24, 285 elementary pupils and 12 251 secondary students. Upon the retirement of Dr. Salera in 2008, Dr. Victorina G. Perez (2008-2012), assumed office. She had under her administration and supervision 60 public elementary Schools and 19 public secondary Schools with Pagadian City Science High being added. The enrolment rose to 26, 461 elementary pupils and 12 404 secondary students. In SY 2012 – 2013, Dr. Arturo B. Bayocot was assigned as the OIC- Schools Division Superintendent of Pagadian City until his promotion to full-fledged superintendent wherein he was assigned in the province of Zamboanga Del Sur. The OIC-Schools Division Superintendent, Dr. Marcom F. Borongan, then Assistant Superintendent of the Zamboanga del Sur Schools Division, formally took over the leadership from Felix Romy A. Triambulo (2013-2014) in January 2015, when the latter was transferred to the Schools Division of Zamboanga Sibugay. At present the new OIC Schools Division Superintendent, Dr. Majarani M. Jacinto, then Assistant Superintendent of the Dipolog City Division, was formally installed in office last July 3, 2017, and holds the lead up to the present time. Under the jurisdiction of the Pagadian City Schools Division are sixty-one (61) elementary schools and twenty (20) secondary schools. The latest addition is the Rotary Inner Wheel Village Elementary School located at Sitio Diwalwal, Barangay Dao, which was granted independence from Dao Elementary School in November 2013. In the recently implemented DepEd Rationalization Plan (RatPlan), the Schools Division Superintendent is assisted by one (1) Assistant Schools Division Superintendent, which, in the case of this Division, is vacant to date. The hierarchy further goes down to three (3) divisions, namely: the Office of the Schools Division Superintendent (OSDS) which includes its office staff, Legal Officer Christine G. Turado, the Administration Section headed by Emilia O. Zozobrado (Administrative Officer V), the Budget Section headed by Victor S. Maalam (Administrative Officer V),Amie Q. Tomon, Administrative Officer IV (Cash Section), Carlos M. Fuerzas, Administrative Officer IV (HRMO), Milagros P. Espinoza, Administrative Officer IV (Records Section), Evelyn Grace D. Orong, Administrative Officer IV (Property and Supply), and the Accounting Section headed by MyrienGlie T. Mier (Accountant III); the Curriculum Implementation Division (CID) headed by Maria Diosa Z. Peralta (Chief Education Program Supervisor) and is composed of eleven (11) Education Program Supervisors (EPS) and ten (10) Public Schools District Supervisors (PSDS) under the Instructional Management Section, and three (3) support staff under the Resource Management Section; and the Schools Governance and Operations Division(SGOD) headed by Isagani B. Cabahug (Chief Education Program Supervisor) with the assistance of EPS Serapion P. Cabatingan, Jr., and consists of the Planning and Research Section manned by SEPS Dexter Jones D. Fiel and Reynaldo Lorenzo P. Nodado (Planning Officer III); the Social Mobilization and Networking Section headed by Honey Sahara B. Aleman with EPS II Jeoffrey A. Ymalay and Project Development Officer on Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Mae Kathleen M. Torres; the Human Resource and Development Section Ermah Sheila L. Roble with Education Program Specialist II Rossalyn Z. Montealto; the School Management Monitoring and Evaluation Section headed by OIC-SEPS Locke D. Jusay with Education Program Specialist II Joseph Fulloso, the School Facilities Section manned by Engr. Alejandro N. Samonte, Jr. (Engineer III), and the School Health Section headed by Dr. Genie C. Cabrera (Dentist II) with five Division Nurses. The City Division’s 61 elementary schools are manned by thirty-five (35) Principals, twenty-four (24) Head Teachers, nine (9) Teachers-In-Charge, and seven hundred forty-three (743) school teachers serving 26,390 pupils from Grades 1 to 6, with eighteen (18) regular Kindergarten teachers taking care of 3,213 kinder pupils. On the other hand, the secondary schools are headed by ten (10) principals, forty-six (46) Head Teachers, two (2) Teachers-In-Charge, and five hundred nine (509) school teachers catering to the 20 secondary schools with a total of student population of 12,662 students. Out of these 20 secondary schools, eleven (11) are slated to offer the curriculum for Senior High School for School Year 2016-2017. Moreover, there are twenty (20) private schools in Pagadian City which caters to a total of 5,578 learners, consisting of 657 kindergarten pupils, 1,737 elementary schoolers, and 3,184 high school students. Likewise, the Division’s Alternative Learning System (ALS) serves a population of seven hundred eighty-eight (788) learners through its 10 ALS Implementers lead by EPS II Editha C. Dacanay and EPS II Virgilio V. Perocho. All the schools are being assisted and supported by one hundred twenty-one (121) non-teaching personnel.