Cactus High School is

public secondary school A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...

located in Glendale,

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, United States, part of the Peoria Unified School District. The school opened its doors in August 1977. It is the district's smallest high school, with approximately 1,200 students. In 1978, the first Cactus High School students, 1980 graduates, transferred from Peoria High School's campus during their sophomore year into the current building.

Notable alumni

* Ryan Carpenter, MLB pitcher for the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

* Kyle Kosier: Offensive lineman (

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

), free agent * Brandon McDonald: Midfielder,

Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Fou ...

(

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

) *

Jessica McDonald Jessica Marie McDonald (born February 28, 1988) is an American association football, soccer commentator and former professional player. She played for National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) clubs including the Chicago Red Stars, Seattle Reign FC ...

- professional soccer player. USWNT * Zach Minter: defensive tackle (

), free agent *

Joe Riggs Joseph Jonathan Riggs (born September 23, 1982) is an American professional bare-knuckle boxer and former mixed martial artist who was most recently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship where he lost via KO to Lorenzo Hunt. He former ...

: professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

, WEC Middleweight Champion,; formerly fighting for (

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * ''Bellator'' (fish), a fish genus in the family Triglidae (sea robins) ** ...

) and

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games *Strike Force (video game), ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *''Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *''Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *' ...

; currently competing in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

* Jason Vanacour - professional soccer player * Rick Soderman - professional soccer player *

Randy Soderman Randy Soderman (born May 1, 1974) is an American soccer player and technology entrepreneur. Early career Randy Soderman, the younger brother of Rick Soderman, grew up playing for CISCO Soccer Club in Phoenix, Arizona. In 1992, he graduated ...

- professional soccer player *

Khris Davis Khristopher Adrian Davis (born December 21, 1987), nicknamed “Khrush”, is an American former professional baseball left fielder and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics and ...

: didn't graduate, transferred to Deer Valley High School in 2004, professional baseball player,

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

Tyler Schmitt Tyler Schmitt (born March 25, 1986) is an American former professional football long snapper. He played college football at San Diego State University and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL draft. He is consi ...

- Professional longer snapper for

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

. * Jonathon Beasley- Tarleton State Offensive Coordinator

References

External links

Cactus High School website
{{authority control Public high schools in Arizona Education in Glendale, Arizona Educational institutions established in 1977 Schools in Maricopa County, Arizona 1977 establishments in Arizona