Leland High School (San Jose, California)

Leland High School is a public high school located in the Almaden Valley in San Jose, California. Leland is one of the nine high schools in the San Jose Unified School District and is a STEM school.

Leland High School
Address
6677 Camden Ave San Jose , California 95120 United States
Coordinates	37.217136°N 121.844326°W / 37.217136; -121.844326
Information
Type	Public
Established	1967
School district	San Jose Unified School District
Principal	Harveen Bal [1][2]
Faculty	56.32 (on FTE basis)[3]
Grades	9, 10, 11, 12
Enrollment	1,593 (2022-23)[3]
Student to teacher ratio	28.28[3]
Color(s)	Navy blue, Columbia blue, Gold[4]
Mascot	Chargers
Rival	Pioneer High School
Information	[phone]
Website	leland.sjusd.org

History

Leland was founded in 1967.^[5] It was named for Raymond B. Leland, who had served as principal of San Jose High School, and his son Gordon Leland, who had been a student at the school and had died in World War II.^[6][7]

Awards and recognition

Leland has won accolades for its speech and debate team,^[8] and more recently its FIRST Robotics Competition Quixilver 604^[9] and its FIRST Tech Challenge Quixilver 8404^[10] robotics teams.^[11]

In 2021, U.S. News & World Report ranked Leland as the number 1 high school in San Jose Unified School District and number 68 in the state of California,^[12] and the education ranking and review website Niche ranked the school as the number 1 high school in the district and number 77 in the state.^[13]

In 2014, Leland was ranked number 20 in the United States for high standardized test scores between 2012-2014.^[14] Newsweek ranked Leland High School 54th in the nation.^[15]

During the 2004–05 school year, Leland High School was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education,^[16] the highest award an American school can receive.^[17]

Notable alumni and staff

The Leland High School Quad.

• Steven Beitashour '05 – Major League Soccer player, formerly with the San Jose Earthquakes.^[18][19][20]
• Jenna Flynn ‘22 - Water polo player, competed at 2024 Olympic Games for United States^[21]
• Jason Hardtke – Former professional baseball player^[22][23]
• Jerry Hsu – Professional skateboarder.^[24]
• Brent Jones '81 – Former American football player and Pro Bowl tight end for the San Francisco 49ers.^[25][26]
• Yubin Kim – Wonder Girls member
• Evan Low '01 – California State Assembly member, and former Mayor of Campbell, California.^[27][28]
• Joe Murray – Creator of TV animated series Rocko's Modern Life and Camp Lazlo.^[29][30]
• Reggie Smith '88 – Former NBA player for the Portland Trail Blazers.^[31][32]
• Steve Smith '77 – astronaut^[33][34]
• Pat Tillman '94 – Former American football player, ended football career to enlist as a United States Army Ranger, killed in War in Afghanistan, namesake for football stadium.^[26][35]

References

1. School, Leland High. "Staff Directory - Leland High School". leland.sjusd.org. Archived from the original on September 3, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
2. "Leland High School Principal Announcement" (PDF). San Jose Unified School District. September 3, 2023. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 3, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2023. San José Unified School District is proud to announce the appointment of Harveen Bal as the new Principal of Leland High School effective July 1, 2023.
3. Leland High School, National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
4. "Leland's Start". Leland Parent Club. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
5. "Leland". San Jose Mercury News. January 9, 2008. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
6. Seandel, Aaron. "Leland's Start". Leland Parent Club. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
7. Craven, Wesley Frank; Cate, James Lea; Office of Air Force History (1983). The Army Air Forces in World War II, Volume One: Plans and Early Operations, January 1939 to August 1942. University of Chicago Press. pp. 505–506. ISBN 978-1-4289-1586-2. OCLC 493026918.
8. Carbone Lewis, Jeanne (March 23, 2006). "Leland's award-winning speech, debate team talks fund-raising". Almaden Times Weekly. Times Media, Inc. Archived from the original on September 26, 2007. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
9. Baum, Julia (May 2, 2017). "Leland High team aces international robotics contest". The Mercury News. Bay Area News Group. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
10. "Leland First Tech Challenge Team to Compete at FIRST Robotics World Championship April 12–20". Almaden Times. April 5, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
11. "Youth Robotics Teams Inspire Record Crowds at FIRST Championship in Houston". Associated Press. April 21, 2019.
12. "High Schools in San Jose Unified School District". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
13. "Explore San Jose Unified School District". Niche. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
14. "High Schools With Highest SAT Scores". Business Insider. January 21, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
15. "America's Top High Schools 2014". Newsweek. 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
16. U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 2003 through 2006 (PDF), United States Department of Education. Accessed May 11, 2006.
17. "CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department" Archived August 19, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Journal Inquirer, November 16, 2006. "The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve." "Journal Inquirer - CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department". Archived from the original on January 1, 2008. Retrieved November 16, 2006.
18. Baxter, Kevin (May 6, 2014). "Steve Beitashour wants to play for Iran in World Cup". Los Angeles Times.
19. Stranzl, Frank (March 31, 2010). "Beitashour a Hometown Hero". San Jose Earthquakes website. Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on April 4, 2010. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
20. "Sports shorts: Leland to honor alum Steven Beitashour Jan. 15". San Jose Mercury News. January 8, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
21. "Jenna Flynn - Women's Senior National Team". USA Water Polo. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
22. "All-Mercury News baseball from the 1990s - Varsity Extra". mercurynews.com. May 20, 2010. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
23. "Jason Hardtke Baseball Statistics [1990-2001]". www.thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
24. "Jerry Hsu Biography". Emerica Skate. January 3, 2008. Archived from the original on February 18, 2010. Retrieved February 24, 2010.
25. "2005 Hall of Fame inductee biographies". San Jose Sports Authority. Archived from the original on August 3, 2010. Retrieved February 24, 2010.
26. "Leland High honors its own with Pat Tillman Legacy Classic". San Jose Mercury News. August 31, 2012. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
27. "Low Takes Oath as Newest Assemblymember for 28th District - Assemblymember Evan Low Representing the 28th California Assembly District". asmdc.org. Archived from the original on December 22, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
28. "Silicon Valley 40 under 40: Evan Low, city of Campbell". Silicon Valley Business Journal. December 13, 2013.
29. "The wrath of Leland | After School". Blogs at San Jose Mercury News. January 11, 2008. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
30. Rodriguez, Joe (May 8, 2011). "Art matters, but art students matter more". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
31. "Reggie Smith". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
32. Knight, Dennis (April 2, 2009). "All-Mercury News basketball teams dating back to 1960". Varsity Extra – San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
33. "Steven L. Smith: NASA International Space Station Program Liaison to the European Space Agency". Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, NASA. Retrieved February 24, 2010.
34. "Astronaut Bio: Steven L. Smith 8/98". Spaceacts.com. Archived from the original on March 24, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
35. Knight, Dennis (November 4, 2004). "Pregame Ceremony to Honor Local Hero". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved November 8, 2007. When Pat Tillman was a freshman at Leland High School, he didn't make the varsity baseball team, despite being one of the best players his age in the South Bay.

External links

• San Francisco Bay Area portal
• Schools portal

• Official website