Sweetwater High School (National City, California)

Last updated

Sweetwater High School
SUHI Main Building.jpg
Main entrance to the Administration Building as seen off of Highland Ave.
Address
Sweetwater High School (National City, California)
2900 Highland Ave.

,
91950

Coordinates 32°39′34″N117°05′37″W / 32.65944°N 117.09361°W / 32.65944; -117.09361
Information
Type Public high school
Motto“in our Hearts SUHi LIVES!”
Established1920;104 years ago (1920)
School district Sweetwater Union High School District
PrincipalAlejandra Inzunza
Staff114.75 (FTE) [1]
Grades9–12
Enrollment2,809 (2020-21) [1]
Student to teacher ratio24.48 [1]
Color(s)  Cardinal
  White
  Gray
MascotCaptain Inferno
Nickname Red Devils
Rivals Chula Vista High School
Bonita Vista High School
NewspaperThe Devils Advocate
YearbookRed & Gray
Feeder schools Granger Junior High School
National City Middle School
NewsRed Devils Review
Website suh.sweetwaterschools.org

Sweetwater High School (commonly referred to as SUHi and SUH within the district) is a secondary school located in National City, California, United States. Established in 1920, it is one of the oldest high schools in San Diego County. Flagship of the Sweetwater Union High School District, SUHI predominantly serves the National City community with an enrollment of 2,675 students. [2]

Contents

In 2009, Sweetwater High School was named on Newsweek's list of the top 1,500 public high schools in the United States. [3] In 2016 it ranked 2065th on U.S. News & World Report 's list of best high schools. [4]

History

Built in 1882 near the present site of Central Elementary School at 9th Street and E Avenue, National School was the South Bay's first high school. National's successor, National City High School, was built in 1908 around that same location, where Central Elementary School now stands. To accommodate the growing population of high school students, Sweetwater Union High School was built in 1921 at 2900 Highland Avenue. The present day administration building was originally two-stories with the library upstairs. [5]

The New Gym was added in the early 2000s and is the blue print for many of the gyms of other schools built in the 2000s part of the Sweetwater Union High School District.

Thanks to Proposition O, the Sweetwater Union High School District was able to fund a remodel of SUHI's aging campus. This extensive upgrade, which incorporates some of the classic architecture in the new design, with a new three story building housing the new counseling center, administration, library, theater, teacher offices and 31 classrooms. This portion was completed in the summer of 2011. [6] Originally 80% of the campus was proposed to be redone, with a new quad and the replacement of the bungalows, but due to the “pay-to-play” scandal in the Sweetwater Union High School District only the “new building” was built after the contractors were fired. [7]

Demographics

Student enrollment breakdown as of 2023. [8]

   Hispanic (78.5%)
   Asian (12.2%)
   White (5.5%)
   Two or more Races (1.5%)
   Black (1.4%)
   Native American (0.6%)
   Pacific Islander (0.4%)

According to U.S. News & World Report , based on the 2013–2014 school year, 99% of Sweetwater's student body is "minority enrollment", with 87% of the student body coming from an economically disadvantaged household, determined by student eligibility for California's reduced-price meal program. [9]

Approximately 25.5% of SUHI's student population are designated English Language Learners, and 12.8% are students with disabilities. [2]

Academics

The Sweetwater High School staff consists of 201 teachers, administrators, counselors, and support staff. Their 101 teachers offer a variety of AP courses in English Literature, English Language, Spanish, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, World History, United States History, Art History, Calculus, Statistics, Computer Science, Government, Economics, and Psychology. SUHI is home to marching and concert band as well to Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer's Training Corps (MCJROTC). The Red Devil Corps is a class 2A marching band that performs in the SCSBOA circuit. [10] Sweetwater High School has also integrated a career technical education program that consists of educating students in the medical, fire fighting, and other technical fields such as welding.

In order to increase the number of SUHI students who continue on to post-secondary education, the school has formed partnerships with University of California, San Diego, San Diego State University (through Compact for Success), and Southwestern College.

Clubs

SUHI is home to several clubs including Link Crew, Media, MECHA, AIA (Asian International Association), Band Club, BSU (Black Student Union), Choir Club, Do Something Club, Folklorico Club, Football, Girls Who Code, Key Club, MECHA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán), Remember Your Roots Club, Rowing Club, Salty Crew (Fishing Club), CASC, Team R.E.D. (Respect Every Devil), Sweetwater Red Cross Club, Mabuhay Club, Academic Decathlon, the Marine Corps Junior ROTC (MCJROTC), Travel Club. [11] Many of these clubs have been around at SUHi for over 3 decades.

SUHI Foundation

Found in 2006 with the help of SUHI alumni, The SUHI Foundation is a 501(c)(3) group that provides scholarships, student financial aid services, and awards students in need.

Awards

Notable alumni

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 "Sweetwater High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  2. 1 2 "School Accountability Report Card" (PDF).
  3. "America's Top Public High Schools | Newsweek Best High Schools | Newsweek.com". www.newsweek.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2007.
  4. "Sweetwater High" . Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  5. Maria. "Sweetwater Alumni History Page" . Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  6. "Sweetwater High School". Archived from the original on July 1, 2008. Retrieved June 23, 2008.
  7. "Sweetwater school district gets $8.2 million in settlement over pay-to-play scandal". San Diego Union-Tribune. January 13, 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  8. "Sweetwater High School". www.usnews.com. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  9. "Sweetwater High School in National City, CA". US News Best High Schools. February 20, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  10. "Website Disabled". Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  11. "SUHI Club List option". Google Docs. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  12. Mallgren, Laura (November 2, 2001). "Sweetwater district names 16 graduates to first hall of fame". The Star-News . p. 1. Retrieved October 19, 2023 via Newspapers.com.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lynbrook High School</span> Public high school in San Jose, California, United States

Lynbrook High School is a co-educational, public, four-year high school located in the West San Jose neighborhood of San Jose, California. It was founded in 1965 and graduated its first class in 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preuss School</span> Charter school in La Jolla, California

The Preuss School, Preuss School UCSD, or Preuss Model School is a coeducational college-preparatory charter day school established on a $14 million campus situated on the University of California San Diego (UCSD) campus in the La Jolla community of San Diego, California. The school was named in recognition of a gift from the Preuss Family Foundation and is chartered under the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canyon Crest Academy</span> Public secondary school in San Diego, California , United States

Canyon Crest Academy (CCA) is a public high school in San Diego, Southern California. Founded in 2004, the school is a member of the San Dieguito Union High School District and is located in Pacific Highlands Ranch, a residential suburb neighborhood of San Diego.

San Dieguito High School Academy, originally known as San Dieguito Union High School and San Dieguito High School, is a public high school in the San Dieguito Union High School District of Encinitas, California in San Diego County, California. The school was established in 1936.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helix High School</span> Charter public comprehensive secondary school in La Mesa, California, United States

Helix High School, or Helix Charter High School, in La Mesa, California, is a charter high school built in 1952. It received its charter in 1998. Part of the Grossmont Union High School District, it serves a mid-level socioeconomic community and has a student body of approximately 2,400 pupils. Helix serves parts of La Mesa, Lemon Grove, and Spring Valley; however, as a charter school, all high school students in the state of California are eligible to attend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Mateo High School</span> Public secondary school in San Mateo, California, United States

San Mateo High School is a National Blue Ribbon comprehensive four-year public high school in San Mateo, California, United States. It serves grades 9–12 and is one of the seven San Mateo Union High School District public high schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego High School</span> Comprehensive public high school in San Diego, California, United States

San Diego High School (SDHS) is an urban public high school located on the southern edge of Balboa Park, in San Diego, California, United States. It is the oldest high school in the San Diego Unified School District, one of the oldest public schools in all of California, and the oldest still on its original site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sweetwater Union High School District</span> School district in California

The Sweetwater Union High School District is a school district headquartered in Chula Vista, California. As of 2011, the school district is the largest secondary school district in California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Hills High School</span> Public comprehensive secondary school in Santee, California, USA

West Hills High School (WHHS) is a public, comprehensive high school located in Santee, California, and serves students in grades nine through twelve. Opened in 1987, West Hills is the eleventh of thirteen high schools to be constructed in the Grossmont Union High School District which serves the east county area of San Diego County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grossmont High School</span> Public comprehensive secondary school in El Cajon, California, United States

Grossmont High School is a public high school located in Eastern San Diego County, California. Opened in 1920, it is the oldest public high school in East County and the first of twelve high schools currently in the Grossmont Union High School District. The school has an approximate enrollment of 2,800 students.

Montwood High School is a four-year public high school located in the East El Paso area of El Paso, Texas, United States. It is a part of the Socorro Independent School District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic High School (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)</span> School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States

Catholic High School is a private, Catholic college-preparatory day school run by the United States Province of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was founded in 1894 as St. Vincent's Academy. It offers grades eight through twelve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Ysidro High School</span> School in San Diego, California, United States

San Ysidro High School is a co-educational public four-year high school located in San Diego, California. It was founded and established in 2002, and is part of the Sweetwater Union High School District. SYHS predominantly serves San Ysidro and other parts of San Diego with a student enrollment of 2,408.

Stranahan High School, is located in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida was officially opened in 1953 as an elementary school. The school is a part of the Broward County Public Schools district. Originally for white students only, In 1963 Chester Seabury became the first African-American to graduate from a white high school in Florida when he graduated from Stranahan.

Ernest Righetti High School is a public comprehensive secondary school in Santa Maria, California, United States, serving students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District. Righetti is a fully accredited, two-time California Distinguished School, awarded in 2002 and 2009. Righetti High School was built in the suburban community of Orcutt, California in 1963 to relieve overcrowding at Santa Maria High School, opening in January 1963 and graduating its first class in June 1964. The school was named for a local civic leader whose family has engaged in cattle ranching in the Santa Maria area for several generations. The school's boundaries encompass several elementary school districts that serve the communities of Orcutt, Guadalupe, Los Alamos, Sisquoc, Garey, and Casmalia, as well portions of the city of Santa Maria and rural northern Santa Barbara County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burlingame High School (California)</span> Public secondary school in Burlingame, California, United States

Burlingame High School is a public high school in Burlingame, California. It is part of the San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD).

El Cerrito High School is a four-year public high school in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. It is located on Ashbury Avenue in El Cerrito, California, United States and serves students from El Cerrito, a portion of eastern Richmond and the unincorporated communities of East Richmond Heights and Kensington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Jolla High School</span> Public school in San Diego, California

La Jolla High School (LJHS) is a comprehensive high school for grades 9–12 located in the La Jolla community of San Diego, California, United States. Opened in 1922, La Jolla High School (LJHS) is the second-oldest campus in the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD). LJHS's 12-acre site has 14 permanent buildings. LJHS, one of the 16 high schools in the district, is located in La Jolla, a community of about 41,000 within the city limits of San Diego. The school, located south of downtown La Jolla, is surrounded by residential housing; private and public entities including the University of California, San Diego, Salk Institute, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Scripps Health, Scripps Research Institute; and commercial properties with retail, financial and professional services. Modernization of the school has been funded through Proposition MM, The Foundation of La Jolla High School, the ongoing efforts of the PTA (PTSA), and other community partnerships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sequoia High School (Redwood City, California)</span> School in Redwood City, California, USA

Sequoia High School is a high school in downtown Redwood City, California, United States. Today, it is one of the few schools to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme within the San Francisco Bay Area.

Will C. Crawford High School, also known as Crawford High School and formerly Crawford Educational Complex, is a high school located in the El Cerrito neighborhood of San Diego, California United States. In the fall of 2012, the school was reorganized as a traditional school with one principal and two vice principals, and returned to its original name, Will C. Crawford High School.