From The Beginning...
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Fifty years ago, Cal High began as a small middle school in an agricultural area most students wouldn’t recognize today. Over the years, Cal High has transformed into a diverse and growing community of nearly 3,000 students in a suburban city of about 90,000 residents today. Cal was founded in 1973 in an unincorporated part of Contra Costa County known as the San Ramon Village. The city of San Ramon wasn’t incorporated until 10 years later in 1983.
Since Cal High opened with a small number of students, it didn’t start as a traditional high school. Cal only offered grades 7-10 until 1977, when Pine Valley Middle School opened. The first principal, Ernie Berger, who led the school from 1973 until his passing in 1983, helped the small community thrive. Berger and the next principal Phil White (1983-86) built the foundation of the school’s culture.
Some early milestones included the school’s marching band performing at Chevron’s grand opening in San Ramon in 1985 and Cal offering students membership to the National Honors Society for the first time in 1984. Some of Cal’s early staff are memorialized on campus today. Cal’s stadium is named after Ernie Berger, who passed away from cancer, and Cal’s baseball field is named after late math teacher Ed Noble.
Cal’s campus has changed dramatically in other ways since the 1970's. Today, the campus sits in the middle of a neighborhood and is open with a spacious quad encircled by modern classroom buildings, however some of us might remember it looking much different. “Cal High was not surrounded by many houses and there were not a lot of places to shop,” said English teacher Donna Montague, who has taught at Cal since 1986 and is the school’s longest tenured teacher. Instead of the quad, there used to be a hexagonal library at the center of campus with connected buildings on four corners. The Mountain Pod was located where the library is today. Across from it was the Desert Pod, which was closest to the back parking lot. The Valley Pod was near the commons and the final building was the Coast Pod. Each pod was named after a different California region, which were featured around a bear in the middle of the school’s original banner.
Each pod was not built as a traditional classroom either. One room in the middle of each pod was shaped like a rectangle and the surrounding classrooms were shaped like triangles. The walls could fold up like an accordion so classrooms could be made larger for meetings or greater student collaboration.
The lockers were in between the pods, with orange, brown and blue lockers for different grade levels. A fine arts building was built in between the Mountain and Desert Pod, with the theater opposite to it.
In the early 2000's, much of Cal’s campus was demolished and rebuilt. The pods were replaced by a quad and the main 67-classroom 3 story building and library opened in the 2006-07 school year. Campus was often cluttered with scraps and garbage from the demolition until campus construction was completed with the opening of the Event Center and theater in 2010.
From its opening in 1973, California High School has provided students with an enriched and challenging academic program by piloting and implementing innovative programs and instruction. In 1996, California High School adopted a block schedule, and in 1998 California High School became the first Digital High School in the SRVUSD. The school offers a wide range of Honors and Advanced Placement classes. Thematic academic pathways and community internships provide students with connections to career paths. Intervention programs assist students; an embedded tutorial provides all students with access to teachers for remediation and extra support. Over 95% of graduating CHS students continue on to college.
California High School has consistently demonstrated academic excellence as measured by high levels of student achievement. A high performing school which fosters educational excellence for all students, California High School has been recognized as a California Distinguished School in 1987, 1989, 1996, 2005, 2009, and 2019, a National Blue Ribbon School in 2006 and 2011, and a California Gold Ribbon School in 2015.
California High School has also consistently been recognized as a top-performing school by national publications, including Newsweek’s Top High Schools and U.S. News & World Report’s Best High Schools. Based on academic achievement, California High School consistently ranks among the top 5% of schools nationally.
By 2019-2020, California High School has grown to over 2900 students. The school reflects San Ramon’s cultural, academic, and socio-economic diversity. The community and staff embrace the opportunity to maintain strong traditions while exploring new methods and programs to accelerate academic achievement for all students. California High School continues to adapt to the ever-changing needs of its students, providing a well-rounded, rigorous, and relevant academic program for college and career readiness.
California High School’s mission reflects global goals to prepare students for academic, professional and personal success. These goals are achieved by the people who teach here, the students who thrive here, and the surrounding community that fosters the true sense of being a California High School Grizzly.
Since Cal High opened with a small number of students, it didn’t start as a traditional high school. Cal only offered grades 7-10 until 1977, when Pine Valley Middle School opened. The first principal, Ernie Berger, who led the school from 1973 until his passing in 1983, helped the small community thrive. Berger and the next principal Phil White (1983-86) built the foundation of the school’s culture.
Some early milestones included the school’s marching band performing at Chevron’s grand opening in San Ramon in 1985 and Cal offering students membership to the National Honors Society for the first time in 1984. Some of Cal’s early staff are memorialized on campus today. Cal’s stadium is named after Ernie Berger, who passed away from cancer, and Cal’s baseball field is named after late math teacher Ed Noble.
Cal’s campus has changed dramatically in other ways since the 1970's. Today, the campus sits in the middle of a neighborhood and is open with a spacious quad encircled by modern classroom buildings, however some of us might remember it looking much different. “Cal High was not surrounded by many houses and there were not a lot of places to shop,” said English teacher Donna Montague, who has taught at Cal since 1986 and is the school’s longest tenured teacher. Instead of the quad, there used to be a hexagonal library at the center of campus with connected buildings on four corners. The Mountain Pod was located where the library is today. Across from it was the Desert Pod, which was closest to the back parking lot. The Valley Pod was near the commons and the final building was the Coast Pod. Each pod was named after a different California region, which were featured around a bear in the middle of the school’s original banner.
Each pod was not built as a traditional classroom either. One room in the middle of each pod was shaped like a rectangle and the surrounding classrooms were shaped like triangles. The walls could fold up like an accordion so classrooms could be made larger for meetings or greater student collaboration.
The lockers were in between the pods, with orange, brown and blue lockers for different grade levels. A fine arts building was built in between the Mountain and Desert Pod, with the theater opposite to it.
In the early 2000's, much of Cal’s campus was demolished and rebuilt. The pods were replaced by a quad and the main 67-classroom 3 story building and library opened in the 2006-07 school year. Campus was often cluttered with scraps and garbage from the demolition until campus construction was completed with the opening of the Event Center and theater in 2010.
From its opening in 1973, California High School has provided students with an enriched and challenging academic program by piloting and implementing innovative programs and instruction. In 1996, California High School adopted a block schedule, and in 1998 California High School became the first Digital High School in the SRVUSD. The school offers a wide range of Honors and Advanced Placement classes. Thematic academic pathways and community internships provide students with connections to career paths. Intervention programs assist students; an embedded tutorial provides all students with access to teachers for remediation and extra support. Over 95% of graduating CHS students continue on to college.
California High School has consistently demonstrated academic excellence as measured by high levels of student achievement. A high performing school which fosters educational excellence for all students, California High School has been recognized as a California Distinguished School in 1987, 1989, 1996, 2005, 2009, and 2019, a National Blue Ribbon School in 2006 and 2011, and a California Gold Ribbon School in 2015.
California High School has also consistently been recognized as a top-performing school by national publications, including Newsweek’s Top High Schools and U.S. News & World Report’s Best High Schools. Based on academic achievement, California High School consistently ranks among the top 5% of schools nationally.
By 2019-2020, California High School has grown to over 2900 students. The school reflects San Ramon’s cultural, academic, and socio-economic diversity. The community and staff embrace the opportunity to maintain strong traditions while exploring new methods and programs to accelerate academic achievement for all students. California High School continues to adapt to the ever-changing needs of its students, providing a well-rounded, rigorous, and relevant academic program for college and career readiness.
California High School’s mission reflects global goals to prepare students for academic, professional and personal success. These goals are achieved by the people who teach here, the students who thrive here, and the surrounding community that fosters the true sense of being a California High School Grizzly.
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