San Marcos High School is a high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 in the North County city of San Marcos

San Marcos, California

San Marcos is a suburb of San Diego in the North County section of San Diego County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 83,781. Outside the San Diego region, it is best known as the home of California State University, San Marcos...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. San Marcos High School is a member of the San Marcos Unified School District

San Marcos Unified School District

San Marcos Unified School District is a public school district in northern San Diego County, California.The San Marcos Unified School District is one of the largest school districts in San Diego County and includes 19 schools with diverse educational programs for kindergarten through adult...

 and serves students from San Marcos

San Marcos, California

San Marcos is a suburb of San Diego in the North County section of San Diego County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 83,781. Outside the San Diego region, it is best known as the home of California State University, San Marcos...

, Vista

Vista

Vista usually refers to a distant view.Vista may also refer to:-Software:*Windows Vista, the line of Microsoft Windows client operating systems released in 2006 and 2007...

, and Carlsbad

Carlsbad, California

-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Carlsbad had a population of 105,328. The population density was 2,693.1 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Carlsbad was 87,205 White, 1,379 African American, 514 Native American, 7,460 Asian, 198 Pacific Islander, 4,189 from other...

.

Academics

San Marcos High School is a professional community of learners providing a quality education on a safe and orderly campus. SMHS is a California Distinguished School and is recognized as an AVID National Demonstration School & School of Distinction. In 2005, San Marcos was ranked the 419th best high school in the nation by Newsweek magazine. San Marcos offers eighteen Advanced Placement courses and many Honors courses, both weighted and unweighted. An average of one new AP class has been added every year for the past five years, with plans for more in the near future. The graduation rate for the 06-07 school year was 92.3%.
With Cal State San Marcos and Palomar College as neighbors, San Marcos works in liaison with these educational institutions to provide students with a strong foundation in secondary education, including a coordinated, sequential 9-12 Humanities Program. Award winning specialized programs such as, Bio Tech Lab, Genetics, TV News Production, Computer Assisted Drafting, Digital Video Production, and Computer Animation give students many options that prepare them for life after high school, be it college entrance or a career field. SMHS is also planning to expand the world languages department by adding American Sign Language 1 and Mandarin Chinese 1-2 as alternative languages of study for the 2010-2011 school year and beyond.

Advanced Placement

AP Classes Offered Include:
Statistics
Calculus AB
Calculus BC (beginning 2011-2012)
English Language & Composition
English Literature
Spanish Language
Spanish Literature
French Language (when there are enough students)
Environmental Science
Biology
Physics B
Psychology
World History
U.S. History
U.S. Government & Politics
Economics
Art History
Computer Science (beginning 2011-2012)
Studio Art (tentative)
Music Theory (tentative)
Chinese Language & Culture (Tentative)

Honors

Geometry

Algebra II

Trigonometry/Pre-Calculus

Biology

French III (weighted)

Spanish III (weighted)

Genetics (weighted)

9th Grade English

10th Grade English

9th Grade World History

California State Testing

Notable Achievements:

• For the 2010-2011 school year, the API score has increased by 29 points, making San Marcos High School, with an API of 859, the 7th highest performing high school in San Diego County. An API of 859 is higher than Poway, Rancho Bernarndo, La Jolla, San Dieguito, Mira Mesa, University City, La Costa Canyon, Carlsbad, as well as all south county high schools. Additionally, caucasian students, with an API of 914, now have the highest API score in San Diego County
• With a score of 894, caucasian(non-Hispanic) students at SMHS have the 2nd highest API score in San Diego County for the 2009-2010 school year when compared to white populations at other traditional high schools, barely trailing Scripps Ranch(906) and beating Poway(875), Torrey Pines(867), Westview(846), La Jolla(887), and Coronado(873) High Schools and Canyon Crest Academy (889) which are all located in highly affluent areas. A score of 894 is better than every traditional high school in Riverside and San Bernardino county, however SMHS is 3rd when compared to Orange County high schools (trailing only Troy and University high schools) and 4th in all of Los Angeles County (trailing La Canada, Mira Costa, and San Marino High Schools).
• SMHS achieved an API score of 829 for the 2009-2010 school year, a 25 point increase from the previous year. The API score has increased by 152 points since 2004, the largest increase of any high school in San Diego County. In addition, a score of 829 gives San Marcos High the 14th highest API amongst 60+ San Diego county high schools.

Chinese Language Program

San Marcos Unified School District is initiating a new Chinese language program that will allow grades 6-8 at San Elijo Middle School to begin studying the Chinese language as an elective as early as the 2011-2012 school year. This sets the foundation for the growth of course offerings of Chinese currently at San Marcos High School, with an eventual full-fledged program including advanced placement Chinese Language and Culture. Course offerings currently include Years 1 & 2 at both the middle and high schools In addition, San Marcos Unified offers 4 levels of Chinese over the summer holiday for a two month span. Each level corresponds to one semester of Chinese. There is a $50 course materials fee, but tuition is FREE.

Students

The San Marcos High School Class of 2009 includes students that have been accepted to a variety of notable learning institutions such as Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Cornell, Washington University in St. Louis, New York University, UC Berkeley, UC Los Angeles, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Davis, Pepperdine, Vanderbilt, Boston University, as well as many other prestigious and accredited universities.

Athletics

Water Polo

Field Hockey - Girls Varsity 2009 Valley League Champions (Coach: Jonathan St. John)

Football

Golf

Cross Country

Tennis

Volleyball

Soccer- Boys and girls teams both won the Avocado East League Title in 2010

Basketball

Wrestling

Track

Swimming

Volleyball

Baseball

Softball

Lacrosse

Performing arts

Dance:
-The 2008-2009 SMHS JV and Varsity repeatedly won first place in many Southern California Dance Competitions.
-The 2008-2009 SMHS All Female team is known across Southern California for their unique choreography and their energetic routines.
Cheer- The 2007-2008 SMHS Competition Cheer Squad was crowned the American National Champions in Anaheim.
Art, Dance, Chorus, Band & Jazz Band, and Color Guard
The San Marcos High School Knight Regiment has won first place in many competitions.
The 2010 Knight Regiment is the first school in 15 years to join the highest division (6A) in SCSBOA history.

Clubs

• Anime
• Art
• AVID
• BLUE CREW
• Book
• Christian
• CSF
• Ecology
• Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA)
• FFA (Future Farmers of America)
• French
• Global Awareness
• Harry Potter Guild
• Interact (Rotary)
• Key (Kiwanis)
• Lacrosse
• Link Crew
• Martial Arts
• Model UN
• Mudslingers Guild
• National Honor Society
• Quill & Scroll
• Rosies
• Spanish
• Surf
• World Awareness

ASB

ASB includes 5 student elected positions as well as 12 roundtable positions. The SMHS ASB coordinates pep assemblies, the Airbands talent show, music and games at lunch, and 4 dances throughout the school year. Also, each 4th period class has one representative for student congress.

Demographics

The student body of San Marcos High School is one of the smallest among North County public high schools, at approximately 2000. The completion of Mission Hills High School in 2004 saw many students transfer to the new school causing population levels to dip under 1300 during the 2005-2006 school year, but levels have come back with an increase in students coming from new developments, specifically San Elijo Hills. San Marcos has an ethnically diverse campus with no single group having a majority, however the Hispanic population is near 50%. Demographic trends are showing an increase in the percentage of African American and caucasians. In recent years, the percentage of Hispanics has been slowly declining, while other ethnicities/races have fluctuated. There is an anticipated growth in the Asian-American population and caucasian population in future years as schools in the southern part of SMUSD experience an influx of these races as they move into new upscale housing developments. As the 2010 Census recently revealed, the Asian-American population of San Marcos has nearly tripled over the last decade, which indicates a future growth in the Asian student population. The majority of students come from nearby San Marcos Middle School, while approximately half of the students at San Elijo Middle School will attend.

• Hispanic 47.8% (-0.9%)
• White (Non-Hispanic) 39.7% (+1.1%)
• Asian 4.9% (+0.4%)
• African American 2.8% (-1.0%)
• Filipino 3.1% (+0.1%)

Knight Zone

Knight Zone after class activities provides students a safe and enriching place to be after school between the hours of 3PM and 6PM. M-F. Students are able to access academic tutoring, Advanced Placement class support as well as engage in interesting and fun activities such as dance, digital photography, multi-media presentation, and film appreciation. Students can participate simply by showing up to an activity of their choice or by showing up to the library for academic tutoring and quiet time homework help. A snack is provided half way thorough the program.

PACE Promise

The PACE Promise, a joint program of San Marcos Unified School District (SMUSD) and California State University San Marcos (CSUSM), guarantees CSUSM admission to all district students continuously enrolled in the district from 9th through 12th grade who meet entrance requirements. This program begins with the SMUSD graduating classes of 2009.

The Promise provides a step-by-step plan of preparation for college. Beginning in seventh grade, San Marcos students must work to fulfill program expectations. Meeting these requirements also prepares them for admission to most California public and private universities and colleges. Students who meet all the program’s academic benchmarks and the financial need criteria, as determined by CSUSM, may receive monetary assistance from a private foundation associated with the Promise while attending the university.

Improving college options for this generation of students, the Promise provides dynamic, accelerated services which include tutoring and mentoring, visits to the university campus, enhanced test preparation for English and math entry-level exams, and extensive information regarding college preparation and admission. The Promise thus provides a vital link from the secondary school setting to the university.

Japanese Exchange

The San Marcos Unified School District and the City of Nakagawa in Japan have shared an enriching student cultural exchange program for 20 years. Each year a delegation of eight or nine students is selected from San Marcos and Mission Hills High Schools to participate in the two-week summer program.

School Updates

• During the 2010-2011 school year, San Marcos High school will be introducing AP Macroeconomics as part of the American Studies II courses.
• During the 2011-2012 school year, San Marcos High will add AP Computer Science and AP Calculus BC to its list of advanced placement courses offered, bringing the total to 18.
• The World Languages department recently expanded to include American Sign Language and Mandarin Chinese, the first and only program of its kind in San Diego County.
• As the student population grows, SMHS is focusing on establishing more classes for specific career paths such as engineering, media arts, agriculture, sports medicine, and Air Force ROTC.
• San Marcos High School recently was awarded "The Most Positive School in the World", by a non-profit United Nations group.
• With the passage of Proposition K in November 2010, SMUSD confirmed plans to completely rebuild SMHS. Demolition of the Eisenhower-era campus is slated for winter 2011-12, with full completion anticipated in winter 2013-14. Classes will continue to be held on-site during construction and will be located in portapble classrooms set up on the school's parking lot and practice fields.
• The 2010-2011 San Marcos High School Talisman's vintage themed yearbook won first place at the San Diego County Fair in Del Mar.

Notable alumni

• Eddie Sanchez
  Eddie Sanchez
  Eduardo Arturo Sanchez is an American mixed martial arts fighter.-Ultimate Fighting Championship:On February 3, 2007 at the Ultimate Fighting Championship's UFC 67, he lost to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović by technical knockout due to punches at 4:33 of the first round, in Filipović's debut fight in...
  
   - Professional mixed martial artist. Former UFC heavyweight. Currently fighting for Bellator Fighting Championships
  Bellator Fighting Championships
  Bellator Fighting Championships is a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. "Bellator", which is Latin for "Warrior", is organized into seasons with each event hosting the rounds of championship knockout tournaments for three-five weight divisions.-History:In its first season,...
  
  
• Chad Ackerman
  Chad Ackerman
  Chad Ackerman is a rock singer-songwriter, musician, writer, producer illustrator, and artist. Currently Chad is the vocalist for the bands Chapter 14 and Count Your Curses...
  
   - Lead singer for the band Destroy the Runner
  Destroy the Runner
  Destroy the Runner was an American metalcore band from San Diego, California, United States. Tim Lambesis of As I Lay Dying managed them for their album Saints, and did so again with Jason Rudolph for their second album I, Lucifer....
  
  , Arnold Schwarzenegger
  Arnold Schwarzenegger
  Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
  
   impersonations for the band Austrian Death Machine
  Austrian Death Machine
  Austrian Death Machine is an American metal side project from San Diego, California, founded by As I Lay Dying vocalist Tim Lambesis to be a parody and tribute of Arnold Schwarzenegger's films.-Biography:...
  
  , and former rhythm guitar player in the bands Die Trying and As I Lay Dying
  As I Lay Dying (band)
  As I Lay Dying is an American metalcore band from San Diego, California. Founded in 2000 by Tim Lambesis and having completed their first Line-up in 2001, the band consists of vocalist Tim Lambesis, drummer Jordan Mancino, lead guitarist Nick Hipa, rhythm guitarist Phil Sgrosso, and bassist Josh...
  
  .
• Barbara Mandrell
  Barbara Mandrell
  Barbara Ann Mandrell is an American country music singer best known for a 1970s–1980s series of Top 10 hits and TV shows that helped her become one of country's most successful female vocalists of the 1970s and 1980s...
  
   - American country music singer. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2009.