San Fernando High School (SFHS) is a

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

of the

Los Angeles Unified School District Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is a State school, public school district in Los Angeles County, California, United States of America. It is the largest public school system in California in terms of number of students and the List ...

. It is located in the

Pacoima Pacoima (Tataviam language: ''Pakoinga'', meaning "entrance") is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. It is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the San Fernando Valley region of LA. Geography Location Pacoima is bordered by the Los Angele ...

neighborhood of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, in the northeastern

San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County, California. Situated to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it comprises a large portion of Los Angeles, the Municipal corpo ...

, California. It is near and also serves the City of San Fernando.Auditorium to Be Named for Chavez
" ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

''. June 10, 2000. Retrieved on April 27, 2014.

History

San Fernando High School—SFHS—was established in 1896, and was originally known as the San Fernando Union High School (SFUHS). It is one of the oldest high schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. SFHS was originally located at Fifth and Hagar streets in the City of San Fernando. In 1906, the school moved to a new campus on North Brand Boulevard. San Fernando High School moved again in 1952, to its present location. It was in the

Los Angeles City High School District Los Angeles City High School District (known in its last year as West County Union High School District) was a school district that served high school-aged residents of western Los Angeles County, California from 1890 to 1962. At times the dis ...

until 1961, when it merged into LAUSD. The auditorium was renamed after

Cesar Chavez Cesario Estrada Chavez (; ; March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993) was an American labor leader and civil rights activist. Along with Dolores Huerta and lesser known Gilbert Padilla, he co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), ...

in a dedication ceremony on June 11, 2000, seven years after Chavez's death.

Description

The San Fernando High School colors are black and gold.

School attendance boundaries

Students in the City of San Fernando are assigned to the school. Originally more of the

neighborhood was zoned to the school, but much of it was reassigned to Arleta High School upon that school's opening in 2006. Students in the San Fernando Gardens public housing complex in Pacoima are still assigned to San Fernando High School. San Fernando High School's attendance boundary changed numerous times as well as new high schools opening in the area. In the fall of 2006, 9th and 10th grade students in a portion of San Fernando High School's 2005-2006 school year zone attended Arleta High School instead of San Fernand

Arleta will phase in grades 11 through 1

SFHS was further relieved of overcrowding when César Chávez Learning Academies (Valley Region High School 5) opened in 2011.

Demographics

During 2020-2021, the school had 2,044 students and 110 faculty members. In 2000, 10% of faculty had attended San Fernando High School as students. At the time the school was actively seeking alumni to be teachers. Many of the teachers who were alumni of San Fernando High were bilingual and could offer assistance to Spanish-speaking students.Sandoval, Eric.
For San Fernando High Students, Future May Be in Front of Class
" ''

''. July 23, 2000. Retrieved on April 27, 2014.

School programs

In 2008 it was announced that San Fernando High School would start on a traditional academic calendar, rather than the "year-round" staggered calendar to accommodate overcrowding, in the fall of that year. The traditional calendar allows all three tracks (A, B, and C-track; roughly 3300 students in total) to join as one academic class. It also made it impossible for the city's planned charter middle school to take campus facilities from San Fernando High School. SFHS was the only high school in California with Project G.R.A.D. (Graduation Really Achieves Dreams), which has now expanded to Arleta and Sylmar High School, Sylmar high schools and César Chávez Learning Academies.

Athletics

Football

Operating the wishbone offense (a rarity in California) with future USC stars Charles White and Kevin Williams, San Fernando High won the L.A. City Football title in 1974 and 1975, repeating the 1934, 1937, 1953 and 1967 season championships. Prior to the 1975 season, they were ranked #1 in the country. In 1976 they lost their first game of the season to

Gardena High School Gardena High School (GHS) is a public high school in the Harbor Gateway neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States, adjacent to the City of Gardena. It serves grades 9 through 12 and is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School Distri ...

by a score of 41-0. The team rebounded, losing only one more game (and defeating John Elway's Granada Hills High School team along the way) to earn a spot in the city playoffs. They went on to defeat Banning High School to win the city title. In 2012 the team lost to

Van Nuys Van Nuys ( ) is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1 ...

and Sylmar High School, Sylmar high schools out of their ten games making them 8-2, leading them to the Division 2 Championship against

Canoga Park High School Canoga Park High School is a high school located in Canoga Park in the western San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is in the Los Angeles Unified School District. It is located at the start of the ...

. They repeated in 2013, becoming back-to-back champions. In 2017 SFHS defeated

Dorsey High School Susan Miller Dorsey High School, commonly referred to as Dorsey High School, is a secondary public school located in the Baldwin Hills area of Los Angeles, California. It is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. History The school ...

for the Division 1 Championship with a score of 28-21. San Fernando High's football stadium is named for Charles White.

Wrestling

The San Fernando High School wrestling team currently holds the largest number of city championships in Los Angeles. They have been the City Wrestling Champions in 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1991, 2001—2003, 2006—2009, 2012—2015, and 2017. During the 2006 season, the Tiger wrestling team had an undefeated season, with a record of 21-0. The 2006 wrestling team took first place at the C.I.F. championship, with five of their wrestlers qualifying for the State championship. In 2013, Johnny Parada became the first ever CIF wrestling state champion from the Los Angeles City Section when he defeated Wyatt Wyckoff of Paradise High School 13-6 for the 126 lbs. title.

Baseball

1988 City Championship runners-up; lost to Monroe High School. 1991, 2011 & 2013 City Baseball Team Champions. In 1991, the Tigers beat Banning High School 3-2 at Dodger Stadium. In 2011, the Tigers beat El Camino Real Charter High School 2-0 at USC in the semifinals and beat

Chatsworth High School Chatsworth Charter High School is a charter secondary school located in Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California, U.S. History The campus was built with one-story buildings around a central quad as land was inexpensive ...

8-6 at

Dodger Stadium Dodger Stadium is a ballpark in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at a ...

in the final. In 2013, the Tigers beat Cleveland High School 2-1 in the final, again at Dodger Stadium.

Soccer

1973 City Soccer Team Champions. When LAUSD offered soccer as an official sport, the Tigers won the first-ever championship against Franklin High School, 2 to 1. 2010 City Soccer Team Champions. Played in the Southern California Regional Playoffs up to semi-finals.

Basketball

1981 Basketball League Champions; 1988 Varsity Basketball League Champions.

Notable alumni

* Sev Aszkenazy, real estate developer * Ivan Becerra, former professional soccer player * Raul Bocanegra, California State Assemblyman * Buddy Bradford,

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

outfielder *

Tony Cárdenas Antonio Cárdenas ( ; born March 31, 1963) is an American politician who served as the United States representative for California's 29th congressional district from 2013 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, Cárdenas was previously a me ...

, U.S. Congressman * Charmian Carr ‘60, actress *

Bobby Chacon Bobby Chacon (November 28, 1951 – September 7, 2016) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1972 to 1988. He held titles in two weight classes, including the World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight title from 1974 to 1975 and the ...

, boxer *

Denny Crum Denzel Edwin Crum (March 2, 1937 – May 9, 2023) was an American men's college basketball coach at the University of Louisville from 1971 to 2001, compiling a record. He guided the Cardinals to two NCAA championships (1980, 1986) and six Fi ...

, men's college basketball coach *

Anthony Davis Anthony Marshon Davis Jr. (born March 11, 1993), nicknamed "AD" and "the Brow", is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Davis, a Power forward (basketball), power f ...

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 ...

and

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division and five in the West Division. The CFL is the highest pr ...

running back *

Felipe Fuentes Felipe J. Fuentes III (born May 25, 1971) is an American lobbyist, former politician, and businessman who served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council for the Los Angeles's 7th City Council district, 7th district from 2013 until his resigna ...

, former California State Assemblyman, Los Angeles City Councilmember *

Mike Glyer Mike Glyer (born February 16, 1953) is both the editor and publisher of the long-running science fiction fan newszine ''File 770''. He has won the Hugo Award 12 times in two categories: ''File 770'' won the Best Fanzine Hugo in 1984, 1985, 1989 ...

, Hugo-winning fanzine publisher * Miguel Gonzalez, MLB pitcher *

John Green John Michael Green (born August 24, 1977) is an American author and YouTuber. His books have more than 50 million copies in print worldwide, including ''The Fault in Our Stars'' (2012), which is one of the List of best-selling books#Bet ...

, basketball player * Jack Hiatt, MLB catcher *

Barbara Lee Barbara Jean Lee (; born July 16, 1946) is an American politician who has served as the 52nd mayor of Oakland since 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Lee previously served as a United States House of Repr ...

, U.S. Congresswoman *

George Lopez George Edward Lopez (born April 23, 1961) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is most known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom '' George Lopez''. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including Mexican ...

, actor, comedian * Nury Martinez, community activist, former Los Angeles City Council President *

Gary Matthews Gary Nathaniel Matthews Sr. (born July 5, 1950), nicknamed "Sarge", is an American former professional baseball left fielder, who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). After his playing days, Matthews was a color commentator for Phil ...

, MLB outfielder *

Natasha Melnick Natasha Melnick is an American television and film actress, best known for her role as Cindy Sanders on the short-lived 1999 NBC comedy drama ''Freaks and Geeks''. Career Melnick graduated from San Fernando High School in the San Fernando Val ...

, actress, musician *

Cindy Montañez Cindy Montañez (January 19, 1974 – October 21, 2023) was an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician who was an Assemblywoman from California's 39th State Assembly district, serving for four years, from 2002 until 200 ...

, former California State Assemblywoman * Malcolm Moore, former

and

USFL The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

player *

Alex Padilla Alejandro Padilla (born March 22, 1973) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from California, a seat he has held since 2021. A member of the Democrati ...

, U.S. Senator from California; former California Secretary of State, State Senator, and Los Angeles City Councilmember * Rashaad Reynolds, footballer * Monica Rodriguez, Los Angeles City Councilmember * Herschel Curry Smith, track coach *

Ritchie Valens Richard Steven Valenzuela (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959), better known by his stage name Ritchie Valens, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens died i ...

, singer (killed in 1959 airplane crash) *

Jacob Vargas Jacob Vargas is a Mexican-American actor, producer, and dancer. Early life Vargas was born in Michoacán, and raised in Pacoima, Los Angeles. He was raised in a devout Roman Catholic family. He attended high school at San Fernando High School ...

, actor and producer * Charles White, NFL running back,

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

winner at

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

References

External links

* {{authority control Los Angeles Unified School District schools High schools in the San Fernando Valley High schools in Los Angeles Public high schools in Los Angeles Educational institutions established in 1896 1896 establishments in California Pacoima, Los Angeles San Fernando, California