Santa Barbara High School

Santa Barbara Senior High School, "Home of the Dons," is situated on a 40acre campus in Santa Barbara, California and is part of the Santa Barbara Unified School District. One of the oldest high schools in California, it was established in 1875, and moved to its current site in 1924. Until the creation of two rival high schools in 1959 and 1966, it was the sole public high school serving the city of Santa Barbara. In November 2005, its 18th-century Spanish influenced design was named an official California and City historic landmark. Today, Santa Barbara High School has an enrollment of roughly 2,200 pupils and certified staff numbering 108.The school's newspaper, The Forge, has been in continuous publication since 1914, making it the second oldest high school newspaper in California.From 2006-2008 SBHS has advanced in Newsweek's national survey of the top 1,300 public high schools. In 2008, it ranked 800, putting it in the top 5% of schools in the United States. In 2008 SBHS ranked high above the state average in SAT scores. On a scale out of 2400, over 75 percent of SBHS students tested ≥ 1500, compared to the state average of less than 50 percent. The class of 2011 displayed their knowledge in 2009, when more the 85% of them passed the California High School Exit exam (CAHSEE).Santa Barbara High School is widely known nationally for its achievements in athletics. While many schools celebrate league championships, Santa Barbara High School only recognizes CIF and California State Championships. The Dons went to five CIF finals in the 2007–2008 year alone. Santa Barbara has a rich history of CIF championships as well. The school has 51 titles to their name as well as many runners-up. In 2014 the girls' basketball team, coached by Andrew Butcher, won the CIF 3A Southern Section and was the state champion runner up.