HBUHSD Past & Present A picture of Huntington Beach High School in the early 1900s shows the original school building, that later became a historic landmark. Huntington Beach High School was founded in 1903 under the name Las Bolsas Union High School, serving the elementary districts of Westminster, Garden Grove, Los Alamitos, Bolsa, New Hope, Fountain Valley, Chica, Ocean View, and Springdale. During its early years it was known as "The School on Wheels" because it moved frequently and had a somewhat uncertain destiny. The school was originally planned for Los Alamitos; however, after one student appeared, it was abandoned on the fourth day of school. A second try was made at Bolsa Avenue and Ward where a 40-acre site was obtained. Local opposition resulted in an injunction and the school was moved to Garden Grove in 1904. The following year, the school traveled to Wintersburg where it was housed in an old armory building However, community opposition was still brewing and there was a strong effort mounted to abandon the school. These early controversies resulted in several districts withdrawing, with only Fountain Valley, Ocean View and Springdale remaining in the district, while at the same time, Huntington Beach and Newport Elementary joined the union. Again in 1906, the "High School on Wheels" was on the road, finally settling in the basement of the old Methodist campground auditorium in Huntington Beach, where it remained until the completion of its first permanent building on its present site in 1908. The early years of the one-school district were scarred by continuous legal struggles. Bonds were approved by a majority of residents for a school building and yet, due to opposition, they were often declared illegal. Through the assistance of a local state senator, a law was passed changing the name from Las Bolsas Union High School to Huntington Beach Union High School. The Huntington Beach Company came to the rescue of the district when they donated a permanent site at Main Street and Utica, where the first cornerstone was laid in 1908. The passage of a $35,000 bond to construct the new school was met with controversy. However, the jolt that almost led to the demise of the district occurred in 1912, when the trustees purchased a two-ton truck to transport students. The controversial truck-bus transported students from Westminster, Newport, Huntington Beach, and Fountain Valley, increasing the enrollment of the fledgling school by seventy-five students and bringing Westminster back into the union. The financial woes of the controversial district were solved in 1921 when oil was discovered in Huntington Beach. The 1908 building was replaced in 1926 by a distinctive new school that featured the current auditorium and clock tower which was dedicated in 1987 as an historical landmark. The first graduating class in 1906 consisted of six students out of a total school enrollment of eighteen students. By 1919 the enrollment grew to 364, 1933 to 637, and 1950 to 950 students. The 1926 facility remained the only school in the district until 1959 when the trustees purchased 50 acres for a Westminster site at a cost of $300,000. During the 1960's and 1970's, the agricultural community of West Orange County was rapidly transformed by the housing boom that occurred as residents flocked to the beach communities on the newly constructed 405 Freeway. Young families with school-age children created instant communities which caused an enrollment explosion that resulted in the construction of Marina High School in 1963, Fountain Valley High School in 1966, Edison High School in 1969, and Ocean View High School in 1974. The district conducted nationwide searches for outstanding teachers to join the ranks of a young, progressive district focused on quality schools. The peak enrollment of the district occurred in 1978 when the six schools housed 21,193 students by utilizing ten-period days and eighty-four portable classrooms. Fountain Valley High School was recognized as the largest school west of the Mississippi with an enrollment in excess of 4,300 students. All the schools, with the exception of Ocean View, were in excess of 4,000 students. The rapid enrollment increase of the 1960's and 1970's was met with an equally rapid enrollment decline during the 1980's and 1990's. The young families grew older, graduating students from high school, and yet parents remained in their homes as "empty nesters". During this time, the district experienced a roller coaster ride of highs and lows. The problems associated with school construction, portable classrooms, crowded facilities, and extended days were replaced by dwindling finances, program reductions, and staff layoffs. During the past 90 years, as the district experienced the ups and downs of agriculture, oil and suburban economics, it maintained a strong commitment to education which has provided a rich tradition of athletic and educational success for students. In recent years, the district has been praised by Newsweek Magazine and the Los Angeles Times for its commitment to academic excellence. The most recent SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) scores for district students reflect a ten-year growth pattern with the average score for the Class of 1993 being 81 points above the national average and 84 points above the state average. Scores on the ACT (American College Test) are 15 percent above the national average. Highly successful advanced placement courses exist at each school; alternative programs provide rich opportunities for other students, and the Special Abilities Cluster and Special Day Classes have been acknowledged as exemplary in meeting the needs of special education students. Eighty percent of the Class of 1993 planned to enter college in the fall to take coursework leading to four-year degrees. Thirty-nine percent entered directly into a four-year university and forty-one percent entered a community college to pursue a transfer to a four- year program. Over eleven million dollars in scholarships were awarded to the Class of 1993. 1,312 students achieved an advanced placement score of 3, 4 or 5, which earned them college credit through high school studies. All secondary schools in the state are assessed annually in terms of performance. As a result, Marina and Westminster recently received recognition as Distinguished Schools, both at the state and national levels. Ocean View and Huntington Beach received recognition as Distinguished Schools at the state level. The Board and staff of the Huntington Beach Union High School District are proud to share their ninety-year history. This history clearly demonstrates that "The School on Wheels" has been firmly planted on a bedrock of tradition that prepares students for the educational challenges of the Twenty-First Century.