Whitney High School (Cerritos, California)

Gretchen A. Whitney High School, called Whitney High School or WHS, is a public school in Cerritos, California serving grades 7–12. It is in the ABC Unified School District. According to US News Report 2016, Whitney High School is ranked 1st in the state of California, and rank 19th nationally.HistoryWhitney High School was founded on September 25, 1976 as a community academic learning center. It was created by ABC superintendent Charles Hutchison, who envisioned Whitney to be a vocational school. The school refocused as an academic prep school. As a tribute to Hutchison, the current cafeteria is named the Hutch.In 1997, half of Whitney’s parking lot was purchased by a housing contractor to build a gated community adjacent to Whitney. In exchange, Whitney received funds to construct the long-awaited gymnasium. In 2012, Whitney built a multi-media arts center featuring computer labs with Macs, and a theater.AcademicsWhitney's curriculum includes 12 Advanced Placement courses and 35 Honors courses. However, students who attend Whitney High School are automatically, placed in honors, so there are total 35 courses and just a couple other basic math courses.RankingsIn 1991, Whitney was recognized with the Department of Education's National Recognition Award as a Blue Ribbon School. Senator John F. Seymour spoke on the US Senate floor to recognize the school. Whitney is one of the three Blue Ribbon Lighthouse Schools Charter Members. The school was again honored as a Blue Ribbon school in 1998, 2003, 2008, and 2014. Whitney became the first school to receive 5 Blue Ribbon Awards. President George W. Bush's brother Neil, co-founder of an educational software company, has visited the campus several times, as he put it, "because of the respect the staff has for students. I’ve never seen anything like it. Every school should be this way."