Palos Verdes High School (PVHS) is one of three public high schools on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles County, Southern California, United States (the others being Palos Verdes Peninsula High School (formerly Rolling Hills High School) and Rancho Del Mar High School). Located by the ocean in Palos Verdes Estates (in the Lunada Bay neighborhood), 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." - Clipping at Newspapers.com.
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 (PVPHS). 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.
+Enrollment by grade9th10th11th12thStudents368344340367
Athletics The athletic teams (known as the Sea Kings) 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 (JV, V) Boys' cross country Girls' cross country Football (F, JV, V) Girls' golf (JV, V) Song (JV, V) Girls' tennis (JV, V) Girls' volleyball (F/S, JV, V) Boys' water polo (F/S, JV, V)
Winter sports: Boys' basketball (F/S, JV, V) Girls' basketball (F/S, V) Boys' soccer (F/S, JV, V) Girls' soccer (F/S, JV, V) Boys' surf (V) Girls' surf (V) Girls' water polo (F/S, JV, V)
Spring sports: Baseball (F/S, JV, V) Boys' golf (JV, V) Boys' lacrosse (JV, V) Girls' lacrosse (JV, V) Softball (JV, V) Boys' swimming (F/S, V) Girls' swimming (F/S, V) Boys' tennis (JV, V) Boys' track Girls' track Boys' volleyball (F/S, JV, V)Sports by Season
Notable alumni
Mark Acres, pro basketball; Boston Celtics 1987–1989, Orlando Magic 1989–1992, Houston Rockets 1992, Washington Bullets 1993; Class of 1981 George Felix Allen (R-VA), former senator, Class of 1970 Heather Burge, WNBA player, Class of 1989 Heidi Burge, WNBA player, Class of 1989 Blair Bush, former center in the NFL, Class of 1974 Ellie Darcey-Alden (born 1999), English actress, dancer and model"List of students enrolled in PVHS Choreo Dance 2015-16." PVHS Official Site. Retrieved 13 February 2016."Info on PVHS Choreo Dance class." PVHS Official Site. Retrieved 13 February 2016. Toulouse Engelhardt, guitarist, recording artist and composer, Class of 69 Matt Grace, MLB pitcher for the Washington Nationals Craig Hogan, director of Fermilab Center for Particle Astrophysics, Class of 1972 Carin Jennings, member of the USWNT, Class of 1983 Bill Laimbeer, Detroit Pistons star and former WNBA coach and leader of the 1975 CIF championship basketball team, Class of 1975 Daniel Levitin, neuroscientist, musician and author, Class of 1975 Billy Martin, tennis pro, long-time UCLA tennis head coach, Class of 1974 Rebecca Mehra (born 1994), middle-distance runner Sheila Rogers, television producer for David Letterman and James Corden's Carpool Karaoke, 7 Emmys, Class of 1978 Dana Rohrabacher, former member of U.S. House of Representatives, Class of 1965 Pete Sampras, tennis player, attended 1985–88 Bryan James Scott, quarterback for the Generals of The Spring League Sable Starr, groupie, often described as the "queen of the groupie scene" in Los Angeles during the early 1970s Cameron Terrell (born 2000), former gang member Jan van Breda Kolff, former college and professional basketball player, SEC Player of the Year (1974), Class of 1970 Tai Verdes (born 1995), singer Joe Walker, NFL linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles John Welbourn, NFL offensive lineman, formerly with the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, attended 1990–1991 Matt Wuerker, political cartoonist, winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning, Class of 1975
Alumni notable for criminal activities Christopher Boyce, convicted of espionage, subject of the movie The Falcon and the Snowman, from Robert Lindsey's book of the same name; attended Palos Verdes High School but transferred to nearby Rolling Hills High School, which he graduated from in 1971 Andrew Daulton Lee, convicted of espionage, subject of the movie The Falcon and the Snowman, from Robert Lindsey's book of the same name, Class of 1970
Notable faculty Jovan Vavic, former water polo coach
References
External links