The school has received a Western Association of Schools and Colleges six-year accreditation. The school features an International Baccalaureate program that involves over 40% of its students. YHS is one of only forty-seven IB schools in California. YHS also offers Advanced Placement courses. In addition to a rigorous academic program, YHS also provides a comprehensive vocational program, which includes technology training in computer networking and multi-media production. Title I programs, Math and Language Labs provide students with assistance in passing proficiency exams. A survey of graduates showed that 50% of YHS students completed courses to qualify for the University of California or California State University systems, 50% planned to attend a two-year college, 27% planned to attend a four-year college, 3% were going into a vocational program, 17% planned to enter the workforce, and 3% were joining the military. In the third statewide administration of the STAR test in 2000, YHS students earned an API rating of 742, ranking 9 on a scale of 10 for the State. 2000 SAT and ACT scores for YHS students were slightly higher than the state and national averages. YHS was named a California Distinguished School in 2001 and 2005. Its 2005 Academic Performance Index score was over 9000, which places it in the upper tier of California high schools. At least one alumnus has been awarded the Rhodes Scholarship.
Controversial teaching methods
When the school originally opened, its unorthodox education methods raised concerns. Students chose their own classes, handled their own attendance, and gave themselves their grades, much to the chagrin of parents, who “…were worried that the students running the school and that there a lack of supervised instruction…” Teachers were also given free rein with the classes they taught, resulting in such classes as skateboarding and rock climbing. They taught in a single large building with simultaneous classes operating without walls, leading to a good deal of confusion and distraction. Although tall partitions were soon set up, they did little to reduce the noise. In recent years, YHS has returned to more traditional academic practices, including fixed schedules, standard classrooms, state-mandated coursework and grading criteria, and referring to "teachers" and "students."
Extracurricular activities
Academic competitions
YHS teams often excel in the Academic Decathlon competition, having won sixteen consecutive Madera County titles as of 2009, in addition to having taken first place twice in 2000 and 2001 and second place at the state level multiple times, most recently in 2006 and 2007.
Music
Yosemite High School's Music Department consists of two choirs, two bands, and two percussion classes. During football and basketball season the Advanced Percussion, Concert Band, and Wind Ensemble combine to form a pep band. In the spring the bands perform at CMEA Festivals and the Heritage Festivals in Anaheim, California.
Yosemite is also the home to one of the most distinguished units in the California Cadet Corps, the 66th Battalion. YHS is also the site of Headquarters, 5th Brigade. The 5th Brigade encompasses Fresno and the surrounding area. Units
Alpha Company, 66th Battalion
Bravo Company, 66th Battalion
Athletics
Yosemite fields interscholastic teams in seventeen sports. It is a member of the North Sequoia League in the Central Section of the California Interscholastic Federation. The girls basketball team, won its fourth consecutive section title in March 2007.
Student demographics
The ethnic breakdown of the student population at YHS is 73.2% White, 14.8% Hispanic, 3.8% American Indian, 0.8% Asian/Pacific Islander, 0.3% African-American, and 7.2% Two or More Races. Approximately thirty-nine percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced meals. and five percent of the students are from families receiving AFDC.
