Monte Vista High School (Spring Valley, California)


Monte Vista High School is public, comprehensive high school located in Spring Valley, California, and serves 1,960 students in grades nine through twelve. Opened in 1961, Monte Vista is the seventh of twelve high schools built in the Grossmont Union High School District.
Monte Vista High School has been ranked among the top 6000 schools in the nation, coming in at #1147, due in part to its excellent record for AP testing and its steadily increasing Annual Performance Index. Monte Vista has one of the best AP programs in the Grossmont Union District.

History

Construction of Monte Vista High School began on September 19, 1960, on the site of a then tomato patch. The total amount cost to build Monte Vista was $2,013,009, Site development costing $436,505 and a building cost of $1,576,504. In early 1961 The Grossmont Union High School Board of Trustees chose the name Monte Vista, meaning "Mountain View" for the new school because of the San Miguel Mountain that dominates the landscape from the school site. Another name considered for the school was El Dorado High School. In the Spring of 1961 the colors, Crimson and Gold, and the nickname, The Monarchs, were chosen after several meetings and votes from future students. Other colors considered for the school were Orange and Navy Blue; and Red, White, and Navy Blue. Other nickname options were Mountaineers, Guachos, Rockets, and Patriots. On September 17, 1961 Monte Vista High School officially opened and became the seventh high school in the Grossmont Union High School District.

Students

Monte Vista's student body is composed of pupils from the following ethic backgrounds :

Athletics

Monte Vista's athletic teams, the Monarchs, compete in the South League of the Grossmont Conference and the California Interscholastic Federation San Diego Section. Monte Vista offers a total of 21 Sports over a span of 3 Athletic seasons.

Fall

Monte Vista's marching band, the Monarch Brigade is an award-winning parade and concert band that has also received accolades for its colorguard, as well as having its students included in the state Honor Band. The band's students received nearly unanimous superior ratings at the Grossmont instrumental solo competition, and unanimous superiors at the 2011 band festival. Monte Vista's drama program puts forward three shows per year—one entirely student-directed—and its students have been honored at local thespian competitions for their solo and ensemble performances. Monte Vista's dance program puts forward two performances each spring. Monte Vista's choir program competes in several festivals in southern California and consistently places in the top three in their division, receiving unanimous superiors and 1st place at the 2011 Heritage festival. Monte Vista is also one of only three high schools in the Grossmont district to offer class piano.

Notable alumni