Aquinas High School is a

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coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

San Bernardino, California San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...

, United States. The school is located in and operated by the

Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino The Diocese of San Bernardino (, ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, in Southern California in the United States. Erected by Pope Paul VI on July 14, 1978, its jurisdiction extends over San Bernardino and Riverside countie ...

. Aquinas is accredited by the

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and the

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. The Aquinas student experiences a traditional liberal arts curriculum that requires the pursuit of the college preparatory disciplines. The school works energetically to keep tuition affordable in the face of increasing costs each year. The school is deeply concerned that Catholic education is available to all students who could benefit and fulfill entrance requirements, without regard to the financial status of their household.

Campus

The school's 27-acre campus in located in a residential neighborhood north of the

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(SR 210) between the Del Rosa and Highland Avenue exits. There are 10 buildings, consisting of 24 classrooms, 3 science labs, 1 computer lab, library, chapel, school store, snack bar and counselors' offices, administrative and student support spaces. Athletic facilities include a gymnasium, 350 seat performing arts center, football stadium with synthetic track, 2 locker rooms, tennis courts, and softball, baseball and soccer fields.

History

On June 15, 1954, Bishop

Charles F. Buddy Charles Francis Buddy (October 4, 1887 – March 6, 1966) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the new Diocese of San Diego in California from 1936 until his death in 1966. Buddy built what is ...

of the Diocese of San Diego (of which San Bernardino was then a part) announced Aquinas Hall would open the following academic year as a boys' Catholic high school. The school opened in 1955 with forty-nine freshmen. Bishop Buddy blessed the new facility on November 11, 1955. St. Bernadine's High School was an all-girl school, which closed its doors on its 50th anniversary in 1971. Its student body merged with Aquinas Hall, forming the co-educational Aquinas High School. In the spring of 2006 the football field was refurbished, bringing in a new playing surface and lighting. A new fence, entry walls, student drop-off area, and landscaping were completed in 2006. This was followed by the construction of the Fr. Devine Tennis Center. This facility provided Aquinas with six lit courts for their league champion Lady Falcon tennis team. Other improvements include the remodeling of the Bill Lemann Baseball Complex, the Lady Falcon softball field, the renovation of the quad area, and remodels of most of the restrooms on campus. The 2011–2012 school year saw the dedication of the Rezek Student Center and the Matich Science Center. Both facilities allow students the use of technology to enhance their educational experience. 2017 saw the opening of the San Manuel Performing Arts Center, a 350-seat state-of-the-art live performance venue and the Lemann Leadership Center. Theses two new facilities created a new administration office as well as new public entrance to the school. That year also saw the opening of the refurbished Aquinas-Gogo Gymnasium. The remodel includes The Jack Henley Hall of Champions. This area serves as a new lobby to the gym as well as space to celebrate the school's athletic achievements. In the fall of 2022 the school saw the completion of a completely remodeled Rezek Student Center. 2023 marked a major milestone in the history of the campus. This began with the opening of the Rezek-Aquinas Beach Stadium, creating an on-campus home for the Lady Falcons Beach Volleyball team. The center of the campus underwent a major shift in its function. The outdoor basketball court became a new student plaza complete with an additional snack bar, ample outdoor seating, a large fountain, and a 40 ft clock tower which can be heard throughout the campus. The plaza leads to two new buildings; the Janice Lemann Center for Visual Arts and the Steinmann Family Center for Innovation. Through the buildings is a new entrance to Reisch Stadium.

Academics

Aquinas offers 24 AP courses and 15 honors courses. The school is also known for its pre-professional academies. These are divided into several fields including; healthcare, law, engineering, and visual and performing arts. The visual and performing arts academy consists of four "strands". These are visual arts, digital arts, musical arts, and performing arts.

Athletics

Since the inception of the Falcon sports program Aquinas has maintained a consistent level of success, in particular the boys' basketball, football, boys' soccer, softball, and baseball teams. In the summer of 2017 Aquinas was chosen as an official Nike school which allowed for the outfitting of the Falcon athletic teams exclusively in Nike apparel. 2022 saw Aquinas end its association with Nike and reach an agreement with Adidas to become the official outfitter of Aquinas Athletics. Aquinas athletic teams have won over 130 league championships, 11 CIF championships, and 3 state championships. Football – 1958, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1968, 1979, 1981, 1985, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 * CIF Champions 2000, 2005, 2017, 2019, 2021 * CIF Runner-Up 2016 * State South Region Champions 2019, 2021 * State South Region Runner-Up 2017 * State Champions 2005 * State Runner-Up 2019, 2021 Girls' Volleyball – 1999, 2000, 2012, 2013 Girls' Tennis – 1982, 1983, 1984, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 * CIF Runner-Up 2005, 2010 Boys' Basketball – 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1988, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024 * CIF Champions 1973, 2021, 2025 * CIF Runner-Up 1968, 1969, 2020 * State South Region Champions 2021 * State Champions 2021 Girls' Basketball – 1983, 1992, 1993, 2001, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 Boys' Soccer – 1982, 1983, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2018, 2021, 2022 * CIF Champions 1998, 2018 Girls' Soccer – 1990 Wrestling – 1979, 1984, 1985 Baseball – 1959, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1997, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 Softball – 1983, 1985, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, * CIF Champions 2013 * State Champions 2013 Boys' Swimming - 2021 Girls' Swimming - 2025 * CIF Runner-Up - 2025 Golf – 1983, 1984, 2000, 2009 Boys' Tennis - 2021, 2024 Boys' Track – 1958, 1988, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2022 Girls' Track – 2003, 2004 Girls' Cross Country – 2009, 2010

Notable alumni

Rod Pacheco Rodric Anthony Pacheco (born May 7, 1958), more commonly known as Rod Pacheco, is an American politician, formerly a District Attorney from 2007 to 2011 in Riverside County, California. He served in the California State Assembly from 1996 to ...

, district attorney and politician * Chris Parker, American football player

References

{{authority control Catholic secondary schools in California Educational institutions established in 1955 High schools in San Bernardino County, California Education in San Bernardino, California 1955 establishments in California Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino