Saratoga High School (California)
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Saratoga High School is a grade 9–12, public high school located in Saratoga, California. In 2021 it was ranked No. 1 Best College Prep Public High School in California according to Niche.<ref name="Niche 2022">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Academics
Saratoga High School is consistently designated a top academic high school.<ref name="Niche 2022" /><ref name="Newsweek 2021" /> It is one of two schools in the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District, which is ranked the Best School District in California.<ref name="Newsweek 2021">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Saratoga High School has a four-year Project Lead the Way engineering program,<ref name="WASC">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and is ranked No. 23 in the U.S. for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).<ref name="US News 2021">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The school offers 35 honors and Advanced Placement courses.<ref name="SHS Profile">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The graduation rate is 99%, and 97% of students attend college.<ref name="WASC" /> It is jointly accredited by the California Department of Education and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.<ref name="SHS Profile" />
Student enrollment averages around 1200, with a student-teacher ratio of approximately 20:1.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is a diverse high school, with total minority enrollment of 75%.<ref name="US News 2021" /> The school community includes families that speak 39 languages.<ref name="SHS Profile" />Template:Citation not found
In 2017, Saratoga High School was named a California Gold Ribbon School for the strength of its Student Support Programs and its focus on Social Emotional Learning.<ref name="WASC" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Activities
Athletics
The Saratoga Falcons compete in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) of the CIF Central Coast Section (CCS).
More than 60% of students participate in Saratoga High School athletics.<ref name="WASC" /> From 2015 to 2020, every varsity team competed in the CCS playoffs; titles and runners up were earned in Boys and Girls Tennis, Boys and Girls Basketball, Boys Cross Country, Boys Volleyball, and Badminton. In addition, individual medals were won in Wrestling and Boys and Girls Track and Field.<ref name="WASC" /> In 2019, the Boys Golf Team finished No. 4 in California. Boys Volleyball won two Northern California championships in 2016 and 2017.<ref name="WASC" />
Saratoga Football has won five CIF Central Coast Section championships: 1973, 1976, 1980, 1987, 1996.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The team formerly played night games at Los Gatos High School; in April 2006, the Trustees of the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District approved permanent lights for the football field.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
SHS Baseball won a Division II CCS championship in 1999.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2009, the girls' varsity tennis team defeated rival Monta Vista High School 5-2 for their first CCS championship in the history of the program and went on to win the title again in 2010.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Theater Arts and Music
Performing Arts is a strong area of achievement at Saratoga High School. Almost 40% of students perform onstage through theater arts, vocal ensembles and instrumental music.<ref name="WASC" /> The Saratoga Strings orchestra performed in the prestigious Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference in Chicago, Illinois in 2018 and 2023.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Marching Band and Color Guard marched in the 2016 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Marching Band participated in the 2012 Macy's Parade in New York City.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2024, the Winter Percussion team attended the WGI World Championships at the University of Dayton Arena, making the finals round.
Robotics Teams
The FRC and VEX robotics teams at the high school consistently advance to the FIRST and VEX World Championships. The FRC robotics team has consistently qualified to the World Championship almost every year. The VEX robotics team won the 2024 National Championship<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and were 2025 World Semifinalists and Division Champions.
Chess team
At the 2005 National Grade Level Chess Championships in Houston, the 9th graders were national champions.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The team won the NorCal State Championship for a record six consecutive years (2004–2010).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Citation needed
Science Bowl team
The Science Bowl team qualified for the 2023 National Science Bowl competition in Washington DC.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Campus
The school has 8 tennis courts, an all weather track, an artificial turf football field, an artificial turf soccer field, an artificial turf softball field, a quad, and an Olympic-size swimming pool.<ref name=Burleigh>Burleigh, Nina. "Sexting, Shame and Suicide." Rolling Stone. September 17, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2013.</ref> The McAfee Performing Arts and Lecture Center, a community facility, opened in 2006.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Notable alumni
- Mark Ames (1983) – journalist<ref name=Ames>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Zach Gill (1993) – musician<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Lance Guest (1978) – actor<ref name=drama>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Lee Hancock (1985) – MLB player<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Bill Haselman (1984) – MLB player and coach<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Andrew Hong (2023) – Chess grandmaster<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Dan Janjigian (1991) – actor and bobsledder<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Alex Lagemann (2007) – musician<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Beth Lisick (1987) – author<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Patricia Miranda (1997) – bronze medalist in wrestling at 2004 Summer Olympics<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Richa Moorjani
- Cyndy Poor (1971) – 1976 Olympian and American record holder
- Anil Raj (2002) – human rights activist, Amnesty International board member, killed in Kabul while working on United Nations Development Programme.<ref>[1] Template:Webarchive The Washington Post, "US Citizen from California Killed in Afghanistan attack, Nov 26, 2019</ref><ref>[2] Template:Webarchive India West News, "Indian American UNDP Aid Worker Anil Raj Killed in Afghanistan" November 26, 2019</ref>
- Kyle Shanahan (1993) – head coach of NFL's San Francisco 49ers<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Varun Sivaram (2007) – Rhodes Scholar, CTO of ReNew Power, and author<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Ed Solomon (1978) – actor, director, writer and producer<ref name=drama/><ref name=success>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Steven Spielberg (1965) – Academy Award-winning film director<ref name=Ames/><ref name=drama/>
- Carrie Steinseifer (1986) – 1984 Olympic swimmer<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Mark Suciu (2010) – professional skateboarder<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- Vienna Teng (1996) – singer-songwriter<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- David Warshofsky (1979) – actor<ref name=success/>
- Sasha Pickard (2019) - Professional Soccer Player