Lowell High School (San Francisco) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lowell High School |
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Lowell High School's Main Entrance
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| Address | |
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1101 Eucalyptus Drive
, 94132
United States
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| Coordinates | 37°43′51″N 122°29′01″W / 37.73083°N 122.48361°W |
| 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 | Jan Bautista |
| Teaching staff | 128.51 (FTE) |
| Number of students | 2,540 (2023–2024) |
| Student to teacher ratio | 19.76 |
| 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 (often called LHS) is a public high school in San Francisco, California. It first opened in 1856 and is part of the San Francisco Unified School District. The school is located on the west side of the city, near Lake Merced and San Francisco State University.
Lowell High is special because it uses a "merit-based" admissions system. This means students are chosen based on their academic achievements. Other schools in the district often use a lottery system or accept students from specific neighborhoods. To get into Lowell, students need to submit their scores from past standardized tests and a writing sample. For a short time, an entrance exam was not required, but it was brought back because the school's academic performance changed.
Contents
Lowell High School's History
Early Years: 1853–1893
The idea for a free high school in San Francisco started in 1853. Colonel Thomas J. Nevins, the first superintendent of schools, wanted a high school for boys and a seminary (a school for girls). It took three years for the school board to agree.
On August 25, 1856, the school opened as the Union Grammar School. It was in a rented building at the Wesleyan Methodist Church. In 1860, the church building was bought and turned into a school. Even though it was called a "grammar school," everyone knew the classes were at a high school level.
In 1864, the school separated into Boys' High School and Girls' High School. The boys stayed at the same location, and the girls moved to a different building. They would later become co-ed again in the 1880s.
New Name and Locations: 1894–1962
In 1894, the school was renamed to honor the famous poet James Russell Lowell. This happened because more and more girls were joining the school to prepare for college, and "Boys' High School" didn't fit anymore.
Lowell High School moved to a new location on Hayes Street in 1913. It stayed there for 50 years. In 1952, the school looked for an even newer spot near Lake Merced. Finally, in 1962, Lowell moved to its current address.
Recent Times: 1963 and Beyond
Until 1988, Lowell's mascot was the Indian. The school superintendent changed it to something less offensive. The new mascot became the Cardinal.
In 2020, Lowell was considered for another name change. This was because James Russell Lowell, the poet, had some views that were seen as racist. However, many people argued that his anti-war and anti-slavery beliefs were more important.
Lowell High was one of the first schools in San Francisco to close temporarily during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. A documentary film called Try Harder! was released in 2021. It showed Lowell students as they went through the college application process.
Lowell High School Campus
Lowell High School is located on the west side of San Francisco. It covers several blocks. The school is near Parkmerced, Stonestown Galleria, and San Francisco State University. You can get to Lowell using many public transportation lines.
The current campus opened in the early 1960s. It has a main three-story building with two smaller parts. One part is a science building, which was rebuilt in 2003. The other part has single-story classrooms.
The campus also has a visual and performing arts building. This building includes the 1,000-seat Carol Channing auditorium. Carol Channing was a famous actress who went to Lowell.
Lowell's campus has many facilities for students. These include a library, art and music classrooms, and six computer labs. There is also an indoor gym, a dance studio, and a weight room. Outside, you'll find a football field, a soccer field, baseball batting cages, tennis courts, basketball courts, and a running track. The school has two parking lots, one for students and one for teachers. There is also a central courtyard inside the school.
Below the theater, there is a facility for the ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) program. This area once had a rifle range for cadets to practice.
Academics and Classes
Academic Achievements
Lowell High School is known for its high test scores. It is often ranked among the top public schools in California. Lowell has been named a California Distinguished School seven times. It has also been a National Blue Ribbon School four times.
As of 2024, U.S. News & World Report ranked Lowell 74th among the "Best High Schools in America." It was also ranked 7th best in California.
Students at Lowell can choose from many Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Almost all students graduate from Lowell. Many Lowell graduates go on to the University of California system, especially to the Berkeley and Davis campuses.
How Classes Were Scheduled
Before 2020, Lowell used a special "arena" system for scheduling classes. Students would go to a website at a specific time to choose their courses.
This system had some problems. Some people thought it was old-fashioned and caused extra work for teachers. Others believed it helped students prepare for choosing classes in college. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lowell stopped using the arena system. It has not been used since.
Admissions Process
Lowell is the only high school in the San Francisco Unified School District that has special admission requirements. The process is competitive. It looks at a student's standardized test scores, GPA, a writing sample, and extracurricular activities.
Changes to Admissions
In the 1980s, the school district tried to make schools more diverse. This led to changes in Lowell's admissions policy. For a while, the number of points needed to get in was different for students from different backgrounds.
In the 1990s, a lawsuit challenged these policies. A new "diversity index" system was created. This system looked at things like a student's family background, their parents' education, and the language spoken at home. It aimed to create diversity without directly using race as a factor.
Later, a court decided that this "diversity index" was not working well to make schools more diverse.
Lottery System and Return to Merit
In October 2020, the San Francisco Board of Education voted to use a lottery system for Lowell's admissions for one year. This meant students would be chosen randomly, like at other district high schools. They also voted to make this lottery system permanent in February 2021. They said it was to address "systemic racism" and a lack of diversity.
However, many people disagreed with this change. A judge later overturned the vote to make the lottery permanent. The school board then voted to extend the lottery system for one more year, through 2022.
During the 2021–22 school year, when the lottery system was used, more freshmen received D or F grades. This led to a recall election for some school board members in February 2022. New board members were appointed. In June 2022, the board voted to bring back merit-based admissions for the 2023–24 school year.
Current Application Process
Now, Lowell has returned to a merit-based system. The old entrance exam was considered outdated. Starting in January 2025, the district decided to use a student's grade point average and standardized test scores (like the STAR exams) for admissions.
Student Life
Lowell High School has a very active student body. There are over 84 academic groups, sports teams, and student clubs.
Mock Trial Team
Lowell's Mock Trial team has represented San Francisco County at the State Competitions many times. They finished in the top ten at the State Finals in 2007, 2012, and 2014. They also won first place at the Empire Mock Trial San Francisco International Competition in 2015 and 2017.
Lowell Forensic Society
The Lowell Forensic Society, started in 1892, is one of the oldest high school speech and debate teams in the country. It is 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 have also competed in the National Speech and Debate Tournament for 40 years. Many famous people were part of the Lowell Forensics team, including a Supreme Court Justice, a California Governor, and actors.
The Lowell Newspaper
The Lowell is the school's student-run newspaper. It has won many awards, including the CSPA Gold and Silver Crown awards and the NSPA Pacemaker. In 2006–2007, the newspaper fought to protect free speech and won an award for it.
CardinalBotics (Robotics Team)
The Lowell Robotics team, called CardinalBotics, started in 2012. They compete in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC). In 2021 and 2022, they won the Chairman's Award (now called the FIRST Impact Award). This is the most important award in FRC. It recognizes teams that promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) in their community. CardinalBotics also encourages more students, especially women and minority students, to study STEM.
Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC)
Lowell has an Army Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) program. It has different competition units like Drum Corps and Drill Teams. The Lowell Cadet Corps started in 1882 and later became Lowell Army JROTC.
Students in JROTC learn leadership and teamwork skills. They learn about first aid, managing money, solving problems, and reading maps. The program's goal is "to motivate young people to be better citizens." Joining JROTC does not mean you have to join the army.
Sports Teams
Lowell has many competitive sports teams. These include football, cross-country, soccer, tennis, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, badminton, dragonboat, softball, swimming, track and field, fencing, flag football, golf, cheerleading, and baseball.
Lowell's Boys Varsity Basketball team has won many championships. They won their first AAA Championship since 1952 in 2004. They also won in 2006, 2007, and 2009. The basketball, soccer, and football teams have a yearly rivalry game with Washington High School. This game is called the "Battle of the Birds."
The Varsity Baseball team has also been very successful. They won eight out of ten championships between 1994 and 2004.
Lowell's track and field and cross-country teams have won the city championship many times. The cross-country team has won 26 championships in a row.
The Girls' Varsity Volleyball team has won the most city championships among San Francisco public schools. From 1996 to 2008, they won 13 championships in a row. In November 2019, they won the CIF State Division 3 Championship.
The varsity swim team won their 11th and 12th consecutive AAA Championship titles in 2007 and 2008. The dragonboat team has also won gold medals in competitions.
As of 2018, Lowell's Varsity Girls' Soccer team has won the AAA Championship title for 21 years in a row. They even had a season in 2012 where no other team scored against them in league games.
The Lowell Varsity Cheer Squad has also won awards. In 2015, they placed 4th at USA Nationals. They also perform at school rallies for football and basketball games.
Notable Alumni
To learn more about famous people who went to Lowell High School, you can visit the page: Notable alumni of Lowell High School, San Francisco.
See also
- San Francisco County high schools
