In South Pasadena High School’s long history, four qualities have always stood out: scholarship, leadership, strength and fair play. SPHS regularly ranks in the top 5% of schools nationwide. The school has been on the same Fremont Avenue site since it opened in 1907 and has seen numerous expansions and redesigns, with the latest in 2002 completing its current peach-colored, Art Deco-style facade. As the only public high school in South Pasadena, it also served next-door neighbor San Marino until 1955, when San Marino opened its own high school. Since then, the two have waged a fierce sports rivalry, especially in football, alternating state titles evenly over the decades, with a few years ending in a tie. The South Pasadena Booster Club takes its sports enthusiasm to the community with an annual 5K or 10K run around the city on the first Saturday in December. Open to the public, the race is called the Tiger Run, after the SPHS mascot.
Over three-quarters of the student body participates in at least one extracurricular program, including 90+ campus clubs, orchestra, bands, yearbook and newspaper staffs, dance, choir and theater productions. Pasadena City College offers dual enrollment courses on the SPHS campus. The school contains several main academic buildings, a performing arts auditorium, a swimming pool, two tennis courts, an outdoor track, three athletic fields and two indoor gyms, one of which appeared in the 2017 film “Lady Bird.”
South Pasadena High School
Public High School
|
Grade 9-12
1401 Fremont Ave,
South Pasadena, CA
South Pasadena Unified School District
School Details
Head of School
Janet Anderson
Student Teacher Ratio
24:1
Average SAT Score
1380
Average ACT Score
31
Math Proficiency
65%
Reading Proficiency
84%
Average GPA
3.6
Graduation Rate
95%
Niche Grade
A+
A+
A+
B
B-
B-
B
B+
Source: Niche
Niche Grade Details
Academics
Average GPA
3.6
Reading Proficiency
84%
Math Proficiency
65%
Teachers
Student Teacher Ratio
24:1
Teachers
61
Full Time Teachers
61
Teachers in First or Second Year
7.7%
College Prep
Average SAT
1380
Math
700
Verbal
680
Average ACT
31
Math
30
English
31
Reading
31
Science
30
Number of AP Courses
14
AP Pass Rate
91.3%
AP Math Enrollment
Very High
AP Science Enrollment
Very High
Other AP Enrollment
Very High
Clubs and Activities
Girls Athletic Participation
Average
Boys Athletic Participation
High
GreatSchools Rating
Source: GreatSchools
GreatSchools Rating Details
Test Scores
Math
40.8%
State Average
17.9%
Science
32%
State Average
9.9%
Teachers and Staff
Students Per Counselor
291:1
Student Diversity
Male
51.7%
Female
48%
Asian or Pacific Islander
32.1%
White
25.4%
Hispanic
25.1%
Two or more races
15.4%
Black
1.5%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
<1%
Native American
<1%
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School Rankings
#25
Best Public HS in California
#29
Best College Prep Public HS in California
#32
Best Public HS Teachers in California
Specialty School Programs
AP Programs Offered
Free/Reduced Lunch Offered
Athletics Program
Colleges Students are Considering
Students are most interested in or go on to attend these colleges.
University of California - Los Angeles
507 Students
University of California - Berkeley
394 Students
University of Southern California
377 Students
University of California - San Diego
368 Students
University of California - Santa Barbara
288 Students
University of California - Irvine
287 Students
University of California - Davis
243 Students
University of California - Santa Cruz
225 Students
New York University
194 Students
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
191 Students
What Students Want to Study
Niche users from this school are most interested in the following majors.
Business
195 Students
Psychology
157 Students
Biology
156 Students
Computer Science
106 Students
Political Science and Government
99 Students
Pre-Medicine Studies
85 Students
Economics
71 Students
Marketing
62 Students
Environmental Science
61 Students
Kinesiology and Exercise Science
52 Students
This School’s Reviews
Niche Reviews
5/15/2024
South Pasadena Senior High School is for sure one of the Top public highschools in the greater Los Angeles area and even all of California. The academics of this school is more STEM driven, but there are courses and extracurriculars for all interests. Definitly a 10/10 school.
7/31/2022
South Pasadena Senior High School is filled with a diverse student body and extremely supportive teachers. There are multiple paths to choose from and a club for every type of person.
3/8/2021
South Pasadena High School is a very solid public high school. Good academics, arts, and athletics. Administration could be better. But still a great school.
GreatSchools Reviews
10/20/2024
I had a wonderful experience here. Although during my 4 years I would often be frustrated with the workload, I appreciated how prepared I felt in college. Many of my classmates struggled with classes like statistics or higher level science, while concepts in those classes were not new to me. During...
1/14/2023
What I love so much about this high school is the great flexibility that allows for parents and students to craft a 4 year program that is right for each individual student. Let's hope that the new principal and vice principal do not change that. One of the options that we love is that students can...
10/6/2020
I thank God every day that I got to go to this school. I came from a Pasadena Unified public school and this place is so much better. Better teachers; Better administrators; better students. Much better environment.
9/8/2018
God awful. Do't go here. If you do, get out while you still can.
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Map
Attendance Zone
About South Pasadena
List Price Range
$1.1M - $6M
Homes For Sale
0
Average Home Value
$1,972,807
Median Lot Size
7,840 Sq Ft
% Renters
56%
Household Income
$154,708
% of College Grads
71.5%
Median Age
43
Average House Size
2,109 Sq Ft
Homes for Sale
Homes for Rent
-
$2,330 - $2,425 per month
- Terraces at South Pasadena Apartments
- 1 Bed
- 1 Bath
- 750+ Sq Ft
- 410 Raymondale Dr
- South Pasadena, CA
-
-
$2,995 per month
- Park View Arbor Apartments
- 1 - 2 Beds
- 1 Bath
- 950+ Sq Ft
- 1750 Grevelia St
- South Pasadena, CA
Additional Schools in the Area
Public Schools shown may be Choice Schools
Choice Schools
Choice schools may not serve this home. Please check the school district website to see all schools serving this home.
Parks in this Area
Garfield Park
- Grills
- Picnic Area
- Tennis
South Pasadena Nature Park
- Skateboard
- Parking Lot
Eddie Park & House
- Grills
- Picnic Area
- Trails
Orange Grove Park
- Baseball/Softball
- Basketball
- Picnic Area
Arroyo Park
- Grills
- Picnic Area
- Trails
Additional Neighborhoods in this Area
Lower Arroyo
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Oak Knoll
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Madison Heights
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San Rafael Flats
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Highland Park
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El Sereno
Hillside homes, views of Downtown LA and a welcoming community with a lot of pride