Los Alamitos High School (also known as Los Al) is a public school for grades 9 to 12 located in Los Alamitos, California, and also serving the city of Seal Beach and the community of Rossmoor. It is the only high school in the Los Alamitos Unified School District. Both Oak Middle School and McAuliffe Middle School feed into Los Alamitos High.
Contents
History
Los Alamitos High School initially opened at Pine Junior High with only sophomores before moving to its permanent W. Cerritos campus the next year. During its first two years, the school utilized a highly flexible scheduling system where students hand-wrote their daily class plans. In its third year, the school transitioned to a computer-generated scheduling system to improve student accountability while still allowing students to adjust open periods. However, because some students abused this freedom, the flexible scheduling system was replaced with a traditional school schedule in 1977.
Beginning in fall 1987, the Orange County High School of the Arts was resident on its campus, but its success and growth led it to move to a bigger campus in Santa Ana in 2001.
Extracurricular activities
Athletic programs
Los Al is known for its success in many Varsity sports. The boys' Varsity Football team won a CIF Southern Section Division 3 title in 1991, Division 2 titles in 1992, 1993 (shared title with Esperanza,) and 2025, and won a Division 1 title in 2002. They have also reached the finals and semi-finals on numerous other occasions.
The Boys' water polo team was also CIF-SS Division II champions in fall 1999, and 2004 and were CIF-SS Masters champions in 2007.
The boys' Los Al Tennis team won the CIF SS Division I Championship in 2001 and again in 2015. After the 2015 season, multiple publications listen the Griffins as the best high school tennis team in the nation. Considering the level of competition in tennis in Southern California, this was a most notable accomplishment. It was in CIF Division I semi-finals in 1999 and 2000. From 1995 through 2001 it had a league record of 69–1, an overall record of 128–18 and produced 16 All-Orange County selections. Additionally, 55 players were honored as scholar athletes and went on to play at college level. The team received recognition from the Mayors of the cities of Los Alamitos and Seal Beach for its contribution to positive publicity.
The girls' volleyball team has won a number of CIF local and state championships. It was CIF Southern Section Division IA champions in 2002, 2004, and 2013 and won CIF Division I State championships in 2003, 2005, and 2006, and came in second 2013. In 2018, the team won the CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship and lost in the quarterfinals in the CIF Division 1 State Championships.
Girls' soccer won CIF section titles in 1996 (Div. II), 1997 (Div. I) and 2005 (Div. I). The last team was also named the No. 1 team in the nation by Student Sports Magazine. Another indicator of the success of the program was that in 2007 there were 17 Los Al alumni girls playing NCAA Division I soccer.
The Griffin Varsity Boys' soccer team won CIF-Southern Section titles in 1991, 2002, and 2026. In 2026, they also won the first-ever CIF Division III State Championships. Cooper Coleman scored the deciding goal in that State Championship Game against Watsonville. Alums Mike Munoz (2001) and Jonathan Bornstein (2002) have both made MLS rosters (LA Galaxy and Chivas USA respectively,) and Bornstein was not only the 2006 MLS Rookie of the Year Award winner, but also captained the US Men's National team roster.
Show Choir
Los Alamitos High School has a noted show choir program. Since 2009, Los Alamitos show choirs have held championship titles more than 175 times at various regional and national competitions, across six competitive show choirs and a concert choir. Most notably Sound FX, but additionally Soundtrax, Connexion, Xquisite, Xtreme, Axcent, and Xpressions.
Sound FX have been named Grand Champion 14 times at national competitions and went undefeated in the 2018, 2020 and 2023 competition seasons. Sound FX has recorded and performed with numerous famous artists, including Barry Manilow, Patti Lupone, Kristin Chenoweth, Journey, Foreigner, and Major Parkinson.
Soundtrax have been named Grand Champion 11 times at national competitions since 2015, and went undefeated in the 2019, 2020, and 2022 competition seasons.
Notable recent alumni of the Los Alamitos show choir program include actress Jenna Lea Rosen and recording artist and American Idol contestant Sophia Wackerman.
Academic accolades
United States Department of Education National Blue Ribbon School – 1990, 1994, 1998 (Special Honors in Art Education for 1998)
California Department of Education California Distinguished School – 1988, 1994, 1998, 2009
California School Boards Association Golden Bell Awards – 1998 (Griffins with a Mission), 2005 (Contemporary Media in the Arts)
California Gold Ribbon School – 2016
Notable alumni
Actors
Dante Basco – actor
Stephanie J. Block – singer, actress
Cathy Cavadini – voice actress
Chad Doreck – actor
Susan Egan – singer, actress
Kayla Ewell – actress
Michael Fishman – actor
Lauren German – actress
Jason Lewis – actor
Allison Mack – actress
Taryn Manning – actress
Matthew Morrison – stage actor
Pedro Pascal – actor
Sarah Ramos – actress
Cathy Rigby – Olympic gymnast, stage actress
Matthew Shaffer – actor
Clayton Snyder – actor
Jodie Sweetin – actress
Anneliese Van der Pol – singer, actress
Sports
Andrew Alvarez 2017 - Washington Nationals pitcher
Jonathan Bornstein 2002 – professional soccer – Querétaro (Liga MX); US national soccer team.
Tim Carey – Former Arena Football League player.
Antoine Cason 2004 – Former NFL cornerback, All-American University of Arizona, 2007 NCAA Jim Thorpe Award Winner.
Ron Cassidy – 1975 – NFL – former (Green Bay Packers) 1979–1985.
Craig Chamberlain - Kansas City Royals pitcher (1979-1980)
Lynne Cox 1975 – long-distance open-water swimmer and author.
Chase d'Arnaud 2005 – former Major League Baseball player.
Jacqueline Frank DeLuca 1998 – American water polo goalkeeper, 2004 bronze medal Olympian and two-time collegiate National Player of the Year.
Rachel Fattal 2012 – American water polo player, gold medal at 2016 Olympics.
Landry Fields 2006 – NBA – former National Basketball Association player and Atlanta Hawks General Manager.
Greg A. Harris 1974 – former Major League Baseball player.
Charles Hinkle 2007 - basketball player
Keenan Howry 1999 – NFL – former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver.
Mike Kelly 1988 – former Major League Baseball player, 3-time All-America at Arizona State.
Music
Kit Armstrong – pianist and composer
Aaron Barrett – lead singer of the ska band Reel Big Fish
Joe Escalante – bassist of The Vandals and owner of Kung Fu Records; on-air personality Indie 103-FM
Scott Klopfenstein – former trumpeter, guitarist and singer from ska band Reel Big Fish as well as lead singer, pianist and guitar player of The Littlest Man Band
Maile Misajon – singer in the band Eden's Crush
Monique Powell and Steve White – of the ska band Save Ferris
Soopafly – Hip hop producer
Mark Trombino – Drummer of Drive Like Jehu and record producer.
Chris Tsagakis and Matt Embree – both of Rx Bandits
Brooks Wackerman – current drummer of Avenged Sevenfold, former drummer of Bad Religion, Suicidal Tendencies, and Bad 4 Good.
Notable criminals
Mikhail Markhasev - Murdered Ennis Cosby, the 27 year old son of Bill Cosby, during a robbery.
Jeremy Strohmeyer – Murdered 7 year old Sherrice Iverson at the Primadonna Resort and Casino in Primm, Nevada
Daniel Wozniak - Murdered his neighbor and friend, Samuel Eliezer "Sam" Herr and Herr's friend, Juri "Julie" Kibuishi, as part of a plan to frame Herr for Kibuishi’s murder and steal his savings.