Type Public high school Principal Christopher Herzfeld Enrollment 1140 Number of students 1,140 | Established 1934 Grades 9–12 Phone +1 949-497-7750 Founded 1934 | |
Motto Catching Waves to Success District | ||
Laguna beach high school
Laguna Beach High School is a 4-year public high school located in Laguna Beach, California, United States. It is the only high school in the Laguna Beach Unified School District. It was established in 1934 and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and as well as being recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School in 2008. It was also recognized as a California Distinguished School in 2007 and 2012, placing the school among the top 5% of the state.
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Laguna beach high school 2015 grads
History
Prior to 1889 no high school existed in Orange County. That year Santa Ana started adding post-eighth grade courses to their regular instructional program. By 1892, the Santa Ana High School was formally accredited by the University of California as the county's first high school. Fullerton was established in 1893, Anaheim in 1898. Still, high school education was not required in California until state legislation in 1919 that mandated that all elementary school districts affiliate with a high school district by September, 1921. Rather than join Santa Ana, the Laguna School District joined with four other elementary school districts to form the Tustin Union High School District. This new high school was located on the site of the current Tustin High School more than 20 miles from Laguna Beach. Laguna Beach finally established a separate high school district in 1933 and on Tuesday, September 11, 1934, Laguna Beach High School opened with an enrollment of 157 students in a new wing constructed as part of the existing Laguna Elementary School facility [1928]. In 1935, the K-5 portion of the school was relocated to a new school built across Park Avenue. North Gym opened in 1935, the 1st floor of the high school Library building opened in 1954 and the 2nd floor Science rooms were added in 1960. Dugger Gym and Guyer Field were added in 1962 and Administration was constructed in 1964 on the site of the old 1908 2-room schoolhouse. Major renovations occurred in 1993 with new classrooms, pool and a facelift. Another major remodel and expansion occurred in 2003–05.
In the past years, 4-year enrollment has varied from a high of 1,200 in 1974/75 to a low of 638 students in 1989/90.
Student demographics
The ethnic makeup of the school is 81.4% White, 10.3% Hispanic, 0.8% African-American, 0.8 % Filipino, 3.0% Asian, 0.5% Pacific Islander, 0.6% American Indian/Alaskan Native and 2.9% multiple/no response (data from 2015/16 Term).
Athletics
Laguna teams were originally called the Breakers but the community already had a reputation as an art colony even before the establishing of the Festival of Arts 1932 and the famous Pageant of the Masters 1935. Civic pride with Laguna's art community culminated in a student body vote on June 4, 1936 to change the nickname to "Artists" after only 19 months as the Breakers. In 2003, the student body voted to return to the "Breakers" nickname. The Breakers compete in the Orange Coast League in the CIF Southern Section. Girls' Sports were initially under the Girls' Athletic Association with limited interscholastic competition. The Southern Section CIF initiated girls' team sport playoffs beginning with Volleyball in 1972. Boys' and Girls' league competition and sports administration were unified in 1974
Fall Sports: (With 1st CIF Season) include Football (1934) Boys' Water Polo (1964), Boys' Cross County (1961) Girls' Cross County (1974), Girls' Tennis (1974) Girls' Golf (1999) Winter Sports: Boys' Basketball (1935), Boys' Soccer (1976), Girls' Basketball (1974), Girls' Soccer (1982), Girls' Water Polo (1998) Spring Sports: Baseball (1938), Boys' Golf (1952), Boys' Swimming (1962), Boys' Tennis (1935), Boys' Track (1935), Boys' Volleyball (1972), Girls' Swimming (1975), Girls' Track (1975), Softball (1982–2007, 2011–). Laguna also has a co-ed Surf team (1987) and Sand Volleyball (Girls: since Spring 2014, Boys: since Fall 2014).
Laguna Beach has success in sports until the rapid urbanization of Orange County in the late 1950s resulted in Laguna becoming the smallest public high school in the county. The football team won the Orange Coast League title in 2006, their first league title in decades, and won again in 2009 and 2012. The football program actually won a lower division (small school) football title in 1946. They have amassed an overall record of 350-417-19 entering the 2017 season. Despite their struggles on the gridiron, Laguna Beach has been successful in other sports. Boys' Baseball won the Division IV title in 2016 and set a Southern California record for a public school by winning 53 consecutive league games from 2012-2016. Boys' soccer won CIF-SS titles in 1997, 1998, and 2002. Girls' tennis has amassed 11 Southern Section championships including the top 2005 SSCIF Division I title. Laguna had early success in boys' basketball, winning Southern Section titles in 1953 and 1962. In Cross Country the Breakers' boys' cross country team won the Southern Section title in 2009 and the state championship in 1989, 2004 and 2009. Eric Hulst has been Laguna's only Boys' State Track champion winning the 2-mile (3200M) in 1975 and 1976 setting the State record in 1976. Rennie Durand was the Girls' 1982 State Track Champion in the 800M. Boys' Water Polo captured the 2010, 2011 and 2014 Division III section titles, Girls' Water Polo captured the Division IV title in 2001 and Division II crown in 2009 before their dominate 2014 and 2015 seasons capturing back-to-back D-I titles going 61-1 over the two seasons. Overall, the Breakers have won 42 Southern Section titles in Boys' and Girls' athletics, six State Regional CIF titles, and three State titles. Eleven of the 42 section titles have been at the highest level.
The Laguna Beach location is conducive to success in volleyball, as evidenced by the school winning multiple CIF-SS championships in the sport. The boys' team won section titles in 1975, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1983, 2010 and won the Southern California Division III Regional title in 2009, 2010, 2011 2014 and 2015. From 1981 to 1983, the squad had a 69 match winning streak, the longest in State history until 2015. The Boys are 423-55 in 45 seasons of league play and 98-37 in 43 years of Section playoffs. Girls' volleyball won titles in 1976, 1991, 1996, 2006 and 2007. The Girls are also 397-40 in the past 43 seasons of CIF sponsored league play and 104-38 in 45 years of Section playoffs.
MTV
In 2004, MTV created a reality television show titled Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, which aired on MTV for 3 seasons. The show follows the lives of several young Laguna Beach residents as they finish high school and begin the next chapter of their lives. It had a very successful first two seasons and became the second highest rated MTV show. It made regular teenagers Lauren Conrad, Stephen Colletti, Kristin Cavallari, and Lo Bosworth into celebrities.