Downey High School is one of two senior high schools located in the Los Angeles suburb of Downey, California, and within the Downey Unified School District. It is located at 11040 Brookshire Ave. At the present time the school has an enrollment of about 3,790 students, of a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds and socio-economic levels.
Currently, Tom Houts is the principal. In addition to him, there are five other administrators, as well as seven full-time counselors. The instruction staff consists of 155 teachers and the operation functions with the assistance of a staff of 85 specialized employees (custodians, secretaries, nurses, security guards, etc.)
Recent Achievements
In the 2005-2006 school year Downey High School also raised over 50,000 dollars for the Leukaemia and Lymphoma society in their annual Pennies for Patients fundraiser; they beat out other top schools including Princeton High School in Princeton, New Jersey and Orange High School in Orange, California. Downey High School beat over 17,000 schools all across the country.
The school is also ranked #1 in their region for most pints of blood donated through Red-Cross oriented blood drives.
The Downey High School Jazz Ensemble made history on June 23, 2006, when they were the first ever high school band to perform at the Hollywood Bowl, receiving a standing ovation.
The Downey High School Drumline and Percussion Ensemble were awarded 1st place Championship in the Open Division and Concert Division from the American Drumline Association in 2005.
Athletics
The school has great athletic background in the fields of Wrestling and Girls Water Polo (two consecutive CIF Div. VI Championships in 2005 and 2006). Currently Volleyball (both boys and girls) is the second best (Girls Water Polo been the best) overall athletic program offered at the school and consistently making CIF semi-final/final appearances.
The Allen Layne Stadium is one of the most advanced stadiums and training facilities in high school level in the Los Angeles area. It is a site for practice for visiting lacrosse teams for Universities, such as University of Michigan.
Famous alumni
- The Carpenters (musical group - Richard Carpenter and Karen Carpenter)
- James Hetfield of the musical group Metallica
- Donavon Frankenreiter (surfer and musician)
- Tedd Schermerhorn (Television/Film Writer, Producer, Director. Former L.A. Morning Radio Personality as "Young Anthony" at KLOS FM 95.5 from 1992 to 1998 with "Mark and Brian" and Y-107 FM 107.1 from 1999 to 2001)
- The Blasters (Rock group)
- The Farooquis (con-artists)
Clubs and Organizations:
The school has over 30 clubs and organizations including Key Club, LEO club Normaneers, Eco Club, Science Club, JSA, Future Teachers of America, and many more.