Monterey High School is a public high school located in Monterey, California. It is the oldest of the four high schools overseen by the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District.
History
In 1905, Monterey High School was combined with Del Monte Technical School to form Monterey Union High School. The wooden three-story building was destroyed by fire and a new school building was constructed on the current site by 1915. The school serviced students from as far north as Castroville to as far south as Big Sur and all of Carmel Valley. The other two districts, Pacific Grove and Carmel, only serviced students within their small city limits.
Proficiency statistics
As of 2020, Monterey High school serves 1,306 students in grade levels 9 through 12. The mathematical proficiency level is 38%, which is lower than California's average of 39%. However, the literacy rate is 65%, which rises above the state average of 50%. MHS ranks among the top 30 schools in the state of California. It also is listed among the top 1% for graduation rates in the state of California.
The student-teacher ratio is 21.1, lower than state average of 23.1.
Student demographics
The school's students are 50% Hispanic, 29% white, 5% black, 5% Asian, 3% Filipino, 1% Pacific Islander, ≤1% Native American and 7% have multiple ethnicities. The student body is 48% female and 52% male.
5% of the school's students are still learning English.
45% of the school's students are from low-income families.
School colors
The school colors of green and gold came from the "golden hills of Mount Toro and the kelly green leaves of the coastal oaks," based on a student poem written for the 1906 yearbook. However, some believe that the school colors came from the original matador's uniform, which was kelly green and gold.
School songs
Two school fight songs have been used in the history of Monterey High School. The current song, which bears the line "Toreadores who wear the green and gold...." was created in 1948 and its music was taken from Georges Bizet's opera Carmen, but the words were written by a student.
The music of the older version was taken from the Washington state fight song.
The Toreador
With the rich Spanish heritage in the city of Monterey, the Toreador was chosen as the school's mascot when it opened in 1905. The original Tony the Toreador caricature served as the face of the school for 80 years. The toreador mascot painted on the wall of the Randall Gym was designed by an art student in the 1990s.
The varsity teams were called the Toreadores, the junior varsity were called the Matadores, the sophomore teams or lightweight teams of earlier years were called the Picadores.
El Susurro
The school's yearbook, originally called The Whisper, was not a traditional yearbook but a collection of student poems and pictures. The title was chosen to reflect the "whisper" of the student voices in their poems. Keeping with the Spanish tradition, the yearbook's name was changed to El Susurro.
The Galleon
The newspaper of Monterey High School is called The Galleon and includes poetry and stories written by the students as well as articles about student life and upcoming courses.
Gyms
The school has two gyms: Randall Gym, which was built in the 1920s, and the smaller Harmon Gym, built in the 1940s. The gyms were named after the late coach Randy Randall and the late P.E. teacher Jean Harmon. The school is also home to the Dan Albert Stadium, named after the longtime Monterey mayor and former football coach.
Athletics
Fall
Girls: Cross country, Golf, field hockey, water polo, tennis, volleyball, cheerleading