Clairemont High School


Clairemont High School is a public high school serving grades 9-12. It is located in the community of [Clairemont, San Diego, California|San Diego, California|Clairemont] in San Diego, California, United States. It is part of San Diego Unified School District. The campus is situated close to the intersection of Balboa Avenue and Clairemont Drive. It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
WWW sandi.net/clairemont/site...

History

The school is named after the Clairemont community in which it is located.
When Clairemont opened its doors in 1958, it consisted of no senior class, a junior class consisting mostly of transfers from Mission Bay High School in nearby Pacific Beach and Kearny High School, and a sophomore class coming from its neighbor, Marston Junior High. There was no freshman class.
Ritchie Valens, who at the time had two hits on the charts, "La Bamba" and "Donna," played at Clairemont High School's opening.
On December 18, 1970, Mason Williams performed benefit concerts for the Pala Indian Reservation Cultural Center hosted by Clairemont High School. Organized by the ASB, Mr. Wallazz 'Wally' Eaton and sponsored by the nonprofit 'Americans for Indian Future and Tradition,' Williams performed two shows—one during the day for the students and an evening show for the general public. The event was a success and raised $1400—enough funds at that time to pay for the block walls. Local TV news and the Sentinel newspaper were on campus to report the award of the donation to elders of the tribe by the ASB president on behalf of CHS and AIFT. Today, the Cupa Cultural Center remains an integral part of the Pala Indian Reservation in northern San Diego County. A plaque at the Center lists Clairemont High School as a contributor.
Mary Catherine Swanson started the AVID program at Clairemont High in 1980 with 32 students.
In April 2025, the San Diego Unified School District identified Clairemont High School's mascot "Chieftain" as the first to be renamed by its newly formed renaming committee. The name is one specifically banned by the California Racial Mascot Act that was passed in 2024.

Sports

Clairemont's mascot is the Chieftain, the school newspaper is The Arrow, and the annual is The Calumet.

In popular culture

The movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High was inspired by author Cameron Crowe's undercover research at Clairemont High School during the 1978-79 school year.
A track on the band Pierce the Veil's album Selfish Machines is titled "Fast Times at Clairemont High".

Notable alumni