American High School (AHS) is a public secondary school located in Fremont, California, United States. It is one of five public high schools within the Fremont Unified School District. The school receives its students through the American High School attendance area boundary set by the district. It opened in 1972 and serves grades 9–12. The school is administered by principal Sandhya Sharma. The California Department of Education lists American High as an active traditional public high school operated by Fremont Unified School District.
American High School was designated a California Distinguished School from 2005 to 2009 and received California Gold Ribbon School recognition from 2017 to 2019. It was recognized as a California Distinguished School again in 2019. The school offers Advanced Placement, honors, engineering, computer science, visual and performing arts, world language, and career-oriented programs.
The school had 2,618 students during the 2024–2025 school year and 2,694 students during the 2025–2026 school year, according to California school enrollment data.
Athletics
American High School is a member of the Mission Valley Athletic League (MVAL), which includes high schools in Fremont as well as Newark Memorial High School in Newark, James Logan High School in Union City, and Moreau Catholic High School in Hayward. The league competes within the North Coast Section of the California Interscholastic Federation.
Incidents and controversies
1990s violence
American High School experienced incidents of gang-related violence during the 1990s. In April 1995, a fight involving as many as 100 youths occurred on campus after a dispute between rival groups. One student was stabbed and three other people were injured. Police arrested several teenagers in connection with the incident.
2020 burglary and vandalism
In April 2020, four teenagers were arrested after police linked them to a series of burglaries and vandalism that included a burglary at American High School. Police said a classroom at the school had been vandalized and an unloaded semiautomatic firearm was found near a discarded backpack in one of the classrooms.
2022 noose incident
In April 2022, a rope tied into the shape of a noose was discovered in a tree on the American High School campus. Fremont Unified School District officials described the noose as a symbol of hate and violence and said they were working with the Fremont Police Department to identify those responsible. The district said additional campus supervision and counseling resources would be provided.
2022 threats and hate-crime investigation
In May 2022, American High School personnel notified police about social-media posts made by a student that included threats of gun violence against a school employee and racial epithets. The Fremont Police Department said the student was arrested and booked into juvenile hall on felony terrorist-threat and hate-crime allegations. Police also served a search warrant at the student's home.
2023 campus lockdown
In December 2023, American High School was placed under a brief lockdown after a student was injured on campus. Fremont police said the student suffered non-life-threatening injuries during what was initially described as a medical emergency. Police remained on campus while the incident was investigated.
Notable alumni
James Cannida, NFL football player Yousef Erakat, YouTuber known as FouseyTube Robert Flynn, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and founder of heavy metal band Machine Head Michelle Go, Asian American woman who was pushed onto a train track in New York City in 2022 Steve Lewis, 400-meter runner who won three gold medals at the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics Ishika Jaiswal, international badminton athlete Joel Souza, filmmaker Garry Tan, venture capitalist and entrepreneur Len Wiseman, filmmaker
References in popular culture
"American High," the eighth track from Machine Head's 2001 album Supercharger, references American High School, the alma mater of lead singer Robert Flynn.
Demographics
Student enrollment was 2,618 during the 2024–2025 school year. California enrollment data indicates that the school remains one of the largest public high schools in Fremont Unified School District.
The school has a predominantly Asian student population, with Hispanic, White, Filipino, African American, multiracial, Pacific Islander, and American Indian students also represented.
References
External links