About the School:
A comprehensive four-year public high school located in the scenic twin community of Sunland-Tujunga, a suburban section of northern Los Angeles nestled in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. The school is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District and is at the center of a complex of schools that also includes a continuation high school, a middle school, six elementary schools and a children's center.
There are over 2,200 students enrolled at Verdugo in grades 9 through 12. They range in age from 14 to 18 years. The school serves the local communities of Sunland, Tujunga, Shadow Hills, Lake View Terrace, La Tuna Canyon and parts of Sun Valley. The student body also includes students from the Los Angeles Mid-City area and the communities of South Gate and Bell.
Verdugo Hills High School is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and received the maximum six-year accreditation from that organization, a significant accomplishment of which we are particularly proud!
History:
For many years, residents of the early City of Tujunga and the township of Sunland fought to have a high school in their community but were continuously turned down by the school board which cited a lack of students in the area.
Prior to 1932, if area students wanted to go beyond the eighth grade, they had to take the bus to Glendale High School. After the City of Tujunga was annexed by the City of Los Angeles in 1932, high schoolers were bussed to San Fernando High.
By August, 1933, the Tujunga Chamber of Commerce was investigating the possibility of securing a high school for the Tujunga Valley with funds the Los Angeles School District had set aside for school construction. A committee consisting of Mrs. Bertha McDonald, Mrs. Aura Good and Mrs. P.J. Blake was organized to work for the high school.
While the school district finally agreed, in principle, to the need for a local high school, District Superintendent Richter said the district had no money to build one. School construction funds had been redirected to repair existing schools throughout the district which had been damaged in the devastating Long Beach earthquake that had struck Los Angeles the previous March.
