Lowell High School (San Francisco) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lowell High School
Main entrance in 2008
Address
1101 Eucalyptus Drive San Francisco , California 94132 United States
Coordinates	37°43′51″N 122°29′01″W / 37.73083°N 122.48361°W / 37.73083; -122.48361
Information
Type	Public
Motto	Fiat Scientia ("Let there be knowledge")
Founded	1856 (as Union Grammar School)
School board	San Francisco Board of Education
School district	San Francisco Unified School District
School number	697
CEEB code	052970
Dean	Cheryl Fong
Principal	Michael Jones
Faculty	111.14 (FTE)
Number of students	2,774 (2018–19)
Student to teacher ratio	24.96
Campus type	Urban
Color(s)	Cardinal      White
Song	The Lowell Hymn
Mascot	Cardinal
Team name	Cardinals
Accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges
USNWR ranking	78th
Academic Performance Index average	948
Newspaper	The Lowell
Yearbook	The Red and White
Honor society	Shield & Scroll Honor and Service Society

Lowell High School is a public high school in San Francisco, California. It's known for its strong academic programs and has been a key part of the city's education system for over 160 years. Lowell is a magnet school, which means it attracts students from all over the city.

Lowell High School's Story

Early Days (1853–1893)

Lowell High School started way back in 1856. It was first called the Union Grammar School. At first, people weren't sure if a free high school could be part of the city's school system. So, they called it a "grammar school" even though it taught high school level subjects.

The school opened in a rented church building. In 1860, the church was bought and turned into a school. It had classrooms and even rooms for gymnastics!

In 1864, the school split into separate schools for boys and girls. The boys stayed at the same campus, which became the Boys' High School. Girls moved to their own school. But by the 1880s, boys and girls were learning together again.

A New Name and New Homes (1894–1962)

Lowell High School in 1917 at Hayes and Masonic streets

In 1894, the school changed its name to Lowell High School. This was to honor a famous poet named James Russell Lowell. The name change also made sense because more and more girls were joining the school to prepare for college.

Lowell moved to a new location on Hayes Street in 1913. It stayed there for 50 years. Then, in 1962, the school moved to its current home near Lake Merced.

Recent Times (1963 and After)

For many years, Lowell's mascot was the Indian. But in 1988, the school decided to change it to something less offensive. The new mascot became the Cardinal.

In 2020, there was a discussion about changing the school's name again. This was because of some of James Russell Lowell's past views. However, many people pointed out his strong support for ending slavery and his anti-war beliefs.

Lowell was the first school in San Francisco to close temporarily during the COVID-19 pandemic in San Francisco in March 2020. This happened after a student's family member reported being sick.

A documentary film called Try Harder! was released in 2021. It showed the lives of Lowell students as they worked hard to get into college.

School Campus

Lowell High School's Main Entrance.

Lowell High School is located in San Francisco, north of Lake Merced. The school campus covers several blocks. It's easy to get to by public transportation, with many Muni bus and train lines stopping nearby. There are also other schools close by, like Lakeshore Elementary.

Lowell High School

Location in San Francisco County

The main school building has three stories. There's also a science building that was rebuilt in 2003. Another building holds the visual and performing arts classrooms. This area includes the 1,000-seat Carol Channing auditorium, named after a famous actress who went to Lowell.

The campus has many great facilities for students. These include:

• A library
• Arts and music classrooms
• Six computer labs
• A foreign language lab
• An indoor gymnasium
• Locker rooms
• A dance studio and weight room
• Sports fields for American football, soccer, and baseball
• Ten tennis courts, eight basketball courts, and four volleyball courts
• A running track
• Two parking lots (one for students, one for staff)
• A central courtyard

There's also a ROTC facility. It used to have a rifle range, but now it's a classroom and indoor drill area.

Academics and Learning

Top-Ranked Academics

Lowell High School is known for its high test scores. It's often ranked among the top public schools in California and the U.S.

• Lowell has been named a California Distinguished School seven times.
• It has also been a National Blue Ribbon School four times.
• In 2024, U.S. News & World Report ranked Lowell 74th among all high schools in America and 7th best in California.

Students at Lowell can choose from many Advanced Placement (AP) courses. These are college-level classes that can earn students college credit. Almost all Lowell students graduate, and many go on to the University of California system, especially Berkeley and Davis.

Class Scheduling

For a long time, Lowell used a special "arena" system for students to choose their classes. Students would get a time slot and pick their courses online.

This system had its fans and critics. Some thought it helped students prepare for college, where they might choose their own courses. Others felt it was old-fashioned and caused extra work.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lowell stopped using the arena system. It has not been used since then.

How Students Get In

Lowell is one of only two public schools in San Francisco that used to have special admission rules. For many years, getting into Lowell was competitive. Students were chosen based on their test scores, grades, a writing sample, and extracurricular activities.

Changes to Admissions

Over the years, there have been changes to how students are admitted to Lowell.

• In the 1980s, the school district tried to make sure all schools had a mix of students from different backgrounds. This led to some changes in how students were admitted.
• In the 1990s, a lawsuit challenged these rules. A new system was created that looked at many factors, like a student's family background and academic achievements, instead of just race.

Lottery System and Return to Merit

In October 2020, the San Francisco Board of Education voted to use a random lottery system for freshman admissions. This meant students were chosen by chance, with some priority given to students from certain areas or those with siblings at the school.

This change caused a lot of discussion. Some people felt it would make the school more diverse, while others worried about its impact on academic performance. During the 2021–22 school year, the first year with the lottery, more freshmen received lower grades compared to previous years.

In February 2022, voters recalled three school board members who had supported the lottery system. In June 2022, the new school board voted to bring back the merit-based admissions system for the 2023–24 school year. This means students are once again admitted based on their academic performance.

Student Population

Here's a look at the student population at Lowell High School from the 2021–2022 school year:

Student Life and Activities

Lowell High School has a very active student body. There are over 84 academic groups, sports teams, and student clubs to join!

Mock Trial Team

The Mock Trial team at Lowell is very successful. They represent San Francisco County at State Competitions. They've finished in the top ten multiple times and even won first place at the Empire Mock Trial San Francisco International Competition in 2015 and 2017.

Lowell Forensic Society

The Lowell Forensic Society is one of the oldest high school speech and debate teams in the country. It started in 1892! It's also the largest student group at Lowell, with over 200 members.

The team travels to big national competitions at universities like Harvard, UC Berkeley, and Stanford. They've also competed in the National Speech and Debate Tournament for 40 years. Many famous people, including a Supreme Court Justice and a university president, were once part of this team.

The Lowell Newspaper

The Lowell is the school's student-run newspaper. It has won many awards for its great journalism. It has even won the NSPA Pacemaker award multiple times. The newspaper is also known for fighting for free speech.

CardinalBotics (Robotics Team)

CardinalBotics is Lowell's FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team. They build robots and compete against other schools. They won the Chairman's Award (now called the FIRST Impact Award) in 2021 and 2022. This is the highest award in FRC, given for promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) among young people. The team also encourages more students, especially girls and minority students, to get into STEM.

Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC)

Lowell JROTC indoor review in May 2005.

Lowell has an Army Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) program. It's made up of different units that compete in things like drill teams and physical challenges. The Lowell Cadet Corps started in 1882.

It's important to know that joining JROTC does not mean you have to join the army. The program teaches leadership skills, teamwork, first aid, and problem-solving. Its main goal is "to motivate young people to be better citizens."

Sports and Athletics

Lowell has many competitive sports teams, including football, cross-country, soccer, tennis, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, badminton, dragonboat, softball, swimming, track and field, fencing, flag football, golf, cheerleading, and baseball.

Lowell's teams have won many championships:

• The Boys Varsity Basketball team has won several city championships, including in 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2009. They have a big rivalry game with Washington High School called the "Battle of the Birds."
• The Varsity Baseball team won eight out of ten championships between 1994 and 2004.
• The track and field and cross-country teams have won the city championship many times in a row.
• The Girls' Varsity Volleyball team has dominated their sport, winning 13 consecutive city championships from 1996 to 2008. They also won the CIF State Division 3 Championship in 2019.
• The Varsity Swim team won 12 consecutive city championships from 1997 to 2008.
• The Dragonboat team has won many gold medals in competitions.
• The Varsity Girls' Soccer team has won the city championship for over 20 years in a row! They even had a perfect season in 2012, not letting any other team score against them in league games.
• The JV Girls' Gymnastics team placed first in their finals several times.
• The Varsity Cheer Squad has won awards in competitions and performs at school sports rallies.

Notable alumni

See Notable alumni of Lowell High School, San Francisco.

See also

• San Francisco County high schools