Palos Verdes High School

Palos Verdes High School is one of three public high schools on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles County, Southern California, USA. Located by the ocean in Palos Verdes Estates, the school is part of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District.

History

It originally opened in 1961.
The school had a Parent Teacher Association; in 1969 the association began allowing students to participate, and so it became the "Parent Teacher Student Association."
Originally opened in 1961, the school earned many awards for academic and athletic excellence before declining enrollments led the District to close PVHS in 1991, combining three existing high schools into Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. The campus remained in use as Palos Verdes Intermediate School, with the former intermediate schools having been closed as part of the reorganization. In 2002, climbing enrollments and overcrowding at Peninsula High School led the district to reopen Palos Verdes High School. By the first year, enrollment reached 470 students.

Demographics

In the 2023–24 year, there were 1,419 students enrolled in Palos Verdes High School. Enrollment by race/ethnicity was 55.88% White, 16.77% Asian, 16.49% Hispanic, 1.76% Black, and 8.95% other. Enrollment by gender was 52.57% male and 47.50% female.

Athletics

The athletic teams are represented by the colors red, black, and white. The nickname comes from the Greek god Poseidon, the school's official mascot. Palos Verdes competes in the Southern Section, Northern Division of the California Interscholastic Federation. In 2024, Palos Verdes won the CIF Division 2-AA state championship in football.
Fall Sports:

Cheer
Boys' Cross Country
Girls' Cross Country
Football
Girls' Golf
Song
Girls' Tennis
Girls' Volleyball
Boys' Water Polo

Winter Sports:

Boys' Basketball
Girls' Basketball
Boys' Soccer
Girls' Soccer
Boys' Surf
Girls' Surf
Girls' Water Polo

Spring Sports:

Baseball
Boys' Golf
Boys' Lacrosse
Girls' Lacrosse
Softball
Boys' Swimming
Girls' Swimming
Boys' Tennis
Boys' Track
Girls' Track
Boys' Volleyball

Notable alumni

Dana Rohrabacher, Class of 1965
Toulouse Engelhardt, Guitar Virtuoso, Recording Artist and Composer, Class of 69
Sable Starr was an American groupie, often described as the "queen of the groupie scene" in Los Angeles during the early 1970
Former Senator George Felix Allen, Class of 1970
Jan van Breda Kolff, former college and professional basketball player, SEC Player of the Year, Class of 1970
Stephen-Craig Aristei, music publisher, manager, music supervisor, and film and television producer, Class before 1971
Craig Hogan, Director of Fermilab Center for Particle Astrophysics, Class of 1972
Blair Bush, Class of 1974
Billy Martin, Tennis Pro & long time UCLA Tennis Head Coach, Class of 1974
Bill Laimbeer and leader of the 1975 CIF championship basketball team, Class of 1975
Daniel Levitin, Class of 1975
Matt Wuerker, Political cartoonist, winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning, Class of 1975
Sheila Rogers, Television Producer for David Letterman and James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke, 7 Emmys, Class of 1978
Mark Acres,, Class of 1981
Carin Jennings, Member of the USWNT, Class of 1983
Pete Sampras
Heather Burge WNBA player, Class of 1989
Heidi Burge - WNBA player, Class of 1989
John Welbourn, NFL offensive lineman, formerly with the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs
Rebecca Mehra, American middle-distance runner
Tai Verdes, American singer
Ellie Darcey-Alden, English actress, dancer and model
Joe Walker, NFL linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles
Matt Grace, MLB pitcher for the Washington Nationals
Bryan James Scott, Quarterback for the Generals of The Spring League
Cameron Terrell, former gang member

Alumni notable for criminal activities

Christopher Boyce attended Palos Verdes High School but later transferred to nearby Rolling Hills High School which he graduated from in 1971
Andrew Daulton Lee, Class of 1970

Notable faculty

Jovan Vavic - former water polo coach