While today’s California high schools boast cutting-edge technology and modern amenities, some of the state’s most iconic campuses date back to the 1800s. These historic institutions were founded in California’s early years of statehood, primarily in rapidly growing cities like San Francisco, Sacramento, and Los Angeles.
Unlike other parts of the U.S., where public high schools emerged in the 1820s with low enrollment, California’s expansion came later but faster. Between 1870 and 1900, the number of public high schools nationwide surged from 160 to 6,000—yet only 4% of teens aged 14–17 were enrolled.
California’s educational roots run deep, shaped by its Spanish colonial past and mission system, which began in 1769—seven years before the Declaration of Independence.
What is the oldest public high school in California?
Founded six years after California was declared a state in 1856, Lowell High School in San Francisco is the oldest public high school west of the Mississippi, according to the school’s website. The college preparatory school is ranked as one of California’s highest-performing public high schools and has the most AP tests in the Western region.
Sacramento Charter High School is the oldest in Northern California
The oldest in Northern California and the second oldest public high school in the state was Sacramento Charter High School—Sacramento High School, founded in 1856. Established just two years after Sacramento was declared the state capital (it was previously Monterey), the high school moved locations several times in the city during its first hundred years.
From 1858 to 1865, high school students shared space with the “lower grades at the Franklin Grammar School at Sixth and L Streets,” and from 1865 until 1876, they “attended class in temporary quarters until the first real Sacramento High School opened at Ninth and M Streets,” according to the Sacramento Historical Society.
The high school became a charter school in 2003.
Loyola High School is the oldest in Southern California
The oldest continuously run educational institution in Southern California, according to the school website, Loyola High School was founded in 1865 and became a Jesuit institution in 1911.
The college preparatory school is all-boys and has a student population of 1,300, drawing from the Los Angeles area and more than 190 zip codes, according to the school. It is one of the top-ranked Catholic schools in the country, with more than 99% percent of graduates going to college or university.
The seven oldest high schools in California
The seven oldest high schools in California, according to Oldest are:
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Lowell High School (1856)
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Sacramento High School (1856)
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San Jose High School (1863)
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Loyola High School (1865)
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Oakland High School (1869)
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Los Angeles High School (1873)
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Santa Barbara High School (1875)
What is the oldest school in California?
Oldest’s list included five schools that are either private or have been incorporated into other schools or school systems.
Spring Valley Elementary Science School in San Francisco was founded in 1852, making it the oldest school in California.
St. Ignatius College Preparatory is a Bay Area school founded in 1855. It continues to operate as a private Catholic school.
Founded in 1856 in Santa Clara, Saint Clare School is a Roman Catholic academy.
Orchard Elementary School in San Jose was founded in 1856, making it the fourth-oldest. Minns Evening Normal School was founded in 1857 and is now part of the San Jose State University campus.
The oldest high school in the country is in Massachusetts
The oldest high school, and the first school of any kind in the country, is Boston Latin School. Founded in 1635, the school is over 100 years older than the United States.
Boston Latin School is located in the city of Boston and is a year older than the nation’s oldest college, Harvard University, also in Massachusetts.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: California’s oldest high schools started during the Gold Rush
