Valencia High School is a

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., ...

Placentia, California Placentia () is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States. Its population was 51,233 during the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 46,488 in the 2000 United States Census, 2000 census. This includes the community ...

under the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District. Many of Valencia's buildings, including the auditorium and cafeteria, were built during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

by the WPA. As of 2024, the school serves a student body of approximately 2,500 students living in southern Placentia and northeast

Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the tenth-most ...

. Beginning in the summer of 2010, Valencia underwent a series of renovations and construction projects, including a new 17-classroom building, modernized school breezeway and administration building, and new bleachers at Bradford Stadium. A modernized "

quad QUaD, an acronym for QUEST at DASI, was a ground-based cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization experiment at the South Pole. QUEST (Q and U Extragalactic Sub-mm Telescope) was the original name attributed to the bolometer detector instrume ...

" was also among the list of projects, serving as a center of campus life and a common location of school activities. Funding for these improvements was provided by Measure A, which was approved by local voters in 2008. Valencia is the

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), more commonly known as the International Baccalaureate (IB), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the I ...

(IB) magnet school in PYLUSD. The school's website claims it is one of the best IB programs in Orange County, CA. The school also hosts an advanced technology program called Val Tech, in which students must complete an internship during the summer between their junior and senior years. The school's mascot is the Tiger, and its team colors are blue and gold. Kraemer Middle School is near the campus, with a long, narrow parking lot separating the two.

Athletics

The boys' tennis team won the 2012 and 2015 CIF Championships. The girls won CIF three years in a row (2006, 2007, 2008). The girls also won CIF in 2015. Also, boys' and girls' basketball dominated the Empire League in the 2008–09 season. Boys' cross country has dominated the Empire League since 1999, achieving a perfect score of 15 in 2015 for Empire League Finals, and qualifying for Division 1 State Championships during the 2016 season. The boys varsity water polo won Empire League in 2015 as well. The boys varsity swim team also won Empire League titles in 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2014, and lately in 2021.

Notable alumni

Héctor Ambriz Héctor Ambriz (born May 24, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros, and San Diego Padres. Early life Ambriz, who is of Mexican-American ...

, pitcher for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

. * Ricky Castillo, professional golfer. *

Michael Chang Michael Te-pei Chang (born February 22, 1972) is an American former professional tennis player and coach. He was ranked world No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) in 1996. Chang is the youngest man in history to win a singl ...

, U.S. tennis player. *

Beneil Dariush Beneil Khobier Dariush (born May 6, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from ...

, professional

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

fighter currently fighting for

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

. * Chris Draft,

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

pro football player,

Falcons Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Some small species of falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies, and some that hover while hunting are called kestrels. Falcons are widely distribu ...

Giants A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore. Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to: Mythology and religion *Giants (Greek mythology) * Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'g ...

/ Panthers. * Suzanne Enoch, (Class of 1982) romance novel author. *

Joe Garten Joseph W. Garten (born August 13, 1968) is an American former professional football guard in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and World League of American Football (WLAF). He played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes, where he was a ...

, (Class of 1987),

and

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division and five in the West Division. The CFL is the highest pr ...

pro football player. *

Michele Granger Michele Marie Granger (born January 15, 1970) is an American, former collegiate four-time NCAA Division I First Team All-American and 1996 gold medal-winning Olympian softball pitcher. She played college softball for four seasons, over five ye ...

, (Class of 1988), U.S. Olympic gold medal-winning softball player. * Daryl Mallett (Class of 1986), author and actor. * Kathy Olivier, women's basketball head coach,

UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. ...

. *

Linda Sánchez Linda Teresa Sánchez (born January 28, 1969) is an American politician and former labor lawyer serving as the U.S. representative for since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, she was first elected to Congress in 2002 in . Sánchez serve ...

(Class of 1987), U.S. Congresswoman representing 39th District of California. * Julie Swail, U.S. Olympic women's water polo team captain at

2000 Sydney Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

and triathlete at

2008 Beijing Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

. * Chris Tidland, professional golfer * Anthony Chavoya (Class of 2021), made his US Open Cup debut with Zeta FC against LA Galaxy Two, now Ventura County FC (MLS Next Pro), and plays college soccer at Whittier College.

References

External links

Valencia High School Web SiteValencia High School AthleticsValencia High School Alumni Association
{{Portalbar, Schools, California, Education High schools in Orange County, California Placentia, California International Baccalaureate schools in California Public high schools in California Works Progress Administration in California Educational institutions established in 1933 1933 establishments in California