San Jose Elementary School was formally organized and founded as an annex of Tandang Sora Elementary School in 1963. Its recognition was granted in 1966.

                San Jose Elementary School is located at the heart of the two (2) big cemeteries- the North Cemetery and La Loma Cemetery.  The school is placed between the two cemeteries as boundary markers of Manila and Caloocan.  The North cemetery is part of the city of Manila while La Loma cemetery  is a border of Manila and Caloocan. The school is near the  A. Bonifacio National Highway, traversing the  C-3 and C-5  Roads.  It stands on a 1,228.5 square meters donated land.

                The school’s first building with four (4) classrooms was named as Bagong Lipunan building occupied by four (4) Grade I classes fronting Tagaytay Street. The Bagong Lipunan building was reconstructed to a two-storey building with 8 classrooms in the year 1989.   Another two- storey building was built in the year 1992 where the school library and stage were to be found. In the year 1996, Administration building  was constructed through the Deped National Budget.                

                Mrs. Evangeline F. Ruiz was the first School Head/Head Teacher. Since then, SJES had the twenty-four (24) successions of dedicated and committed principals.

                Presently, the school has 20 permanent teachers headed by an Officer-in-Charge Principal, Ms. Melody G. Trumata.