Chaparral High School, colloquially known as Chap, is a public, 4-year comprehensive

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., ...

Temecula Temecula (; , ; Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 census and was incorporated on December 1, 1989. The city is a tourist and ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, United States. The school serves students in grades 9 through 12 and is one of five high schools in the Temecula Valley Unified School District.

History

The school opened in 1997 with a class of freshmen and sophomores, and added juniors the following year and seniors after that, graduating its first class in 2000. It was the second comprehensive high school built in the Temecula Valley Unified School District, after

Temecula Valley The Temecula Valley (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Valle de Temecula'') is a graben rift valley in western Riverside County, California. The Temecula Valley is one of the graben valleys making up the Elsinore Trough, created by the Elsinore Fau ...

, and was constructed at a cost of $36 million. The puma was chosen over the cougar for the school mascot, and platinum was chosen for a school color instead of flat silver. It was also named a California Gold Ribbon School in 2017. The school became the subject of media attention after it cooperated with the local police in orchestrating an undercover drug sting which resulted in the arrest of an autistic teenager. The school was named the best National Student Section by the Student Section Report in 2024.

Demographics

According to '' U.S. News & World Report'', 66% of Chaparral's student body are minorities, with 30% of the student body coming from economically disadvantaged households, as determined by student eligibility for California's reduced-price meal program.

Athletics

The school's construction included an Olympic-sized pool, to be shared with Temecula Valley High. Puma athletic teams compete in the Southwestern League. The varsity football team won a CIF-SS championship against Vista Murrieta High School in 2009. The girl's varsity water polo team were crowned CIF-SS Division 5 Champions after their win against Troy High School in 2024.

Performing arts

Chaparral High School fields two competitive

show choirs A show choir (previously known as a "swing choir") is a musical ensemble that combines choral singing with choreographed dance, often integrated into a narrative story or overarching theme. Origin Show choirs have been popularized by the American ...

, the mixed-gender "Platinum FX" and the all-female "Dynamics". The school also has an all-male group, "Forte". The program also hosts an annual competition.

Feeder Schools

* Elementary: Alamos Elementary School, French Valley Elementary School, Susan LaVorgna Elementary School, Ysabel Barnett Elementary School, Temecula Elementary School * Middle: James L. Day Middle School, Bella Vista Middle School

Notable alumni

Rob Brantly Robert Jacob Brantly (born July 14, 1989) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, ...

, professional baseball player * Allen Craig, professional baseball player * Justin Dedich, professional football player * Braylon Doughty, professional baseball player * Tyler Glenn, lead singer of the band Neon Trees *

Sarah Hammer Sarah Kathryn Hammer (born August 18, 1983) is an American former professional racing cyclist and four-times Olympic silver medalist. With eight world championships, she has been called, "America's most decorated track athlete." Hammer announced ...

, Olympic track cycler * Tyler Hansen, professional football player * Sean Manganti, basketball player * Shane Peterson, professional baseball player

References

External links

* {{authority control High schools in Riverside County, California Public high schools in California Temecula, California 1997 establishments in California Educational institutions established in 1997