Burlingame High School

Burlingame High School
Name	Burlingame High School
Established	1923
Type	Public high school
District	San Mateo Union High School District
Grades	9–12
Students	~1,100
City	Burlingame
State	California
Country	United States

Burlingame High School is a public four-year secondary school located in Burlingame, California, serving grades 9–12 within the San Mateo Union High School District. The school occupies a site near U.S. Route 101 and Interstate 280 and draws students from Burlingame, Millbrae, and parts of San Mateo. Known for its historic campus, academic programs, and athletic teams, the school participates in regional competitions and community partnerships.

History

The school opened in 1923 amid rapid growth in San Mateo County following the Panama–Pacific International Exposition and the expansion of the Southern Pacific Railroad and Pacific Electric Railway networks. Early administrators responded to population changes tied to the Great Depression and World War II, aligning curricula with Progressive Education ideas and New Deal public works trends. Postwar suburbanization, influenced by the GI Bill and Interstate Highway System projects, drove facility expansion and demographic shifts during the 1950s and 1960s. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, district initiatives connected the school to regional efforts around the Bay Area Rapid Transit planning, Sequoia Union High School District boundary discussions, and statewide education reform efforts including the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the Local Control Funding Formula, and Common Core State Standards adoption.

Campus and Facilities

The campus sits near downtown Burlingame and includes classical-era masonry buildings alongside modernized structures updated during seismic retrofits after the Loma Prieta earthquake. Facilities feature a performing arts theater used for productions tied to nearby cultural institutions like the San Francisco Symphony and Bay Area theaters, a library media center with ties to Redwood City libraries and the San Mateo County Libraries consortium, science labs equipped for Advanced Placement courses aligned with College Board guidance, and art studios that have hosted exhibitions connected to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art outreach. Athletic amenities include a stadium and gymnasium used for Peninsula Athletic League events and community programs with the California Interscholastic Federation and local parks departments.

Academics and Curriculum

Curriculum offerings span Advanced Placement courses aligned with the College Board, honors sequences modeled after state frameworks, Career Technical Education pathways reflecting partnerships with regional community colleges such as the College of San Mateo and Cañada College, and language programs including Spanish and Mandarin linked to Sister City programs. The school’s counseling services coordinate with University of California and California State University admissions guidelines, and college-preparatory resources reference the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, and local scholarship programs administered by the Burlingame Education Foundation. District professional development has included alignment with California Department of Education standards, STEM initiatives inspired by NASA and the National Science Foundation outreach, as well as arts integration projects responding to National Endowment for the Arts grants.

Student Life and Extracurriculars

Student organizations include chapters affiliated with national and regional organizations such as the National Honor Society, Key Club International, Future Business Leaders of America, Model United Nations delegations that attend conferences in San Francisco and Sacramento, and robotics teams competing in FIRST Robotics and VEX Robotics tournaments. The performing arts program produces musicals and concerts where students collaborate with guest artists from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and community theater groups, while visual arts students participate in juried shows supported by the San Mateo County Office of Education. Student governance interacts with city leaders from the Burlingame City Council and nonprofit partners like the Rotary Club and Kiwanis Club for service-learning projects.

Athletics

Athletic teams compete in the Peninsula Athletic League under the California Interscholastic Federation Central Coast Section, fielding programs in football, soccer, baseball, softball, basketball, volleyball, track and field, swimming, tennis, golf, and cross country. Rivalries with local schools have roots in regional interscholastic competitions involving San Mateo, Aragon, and Mills high schools; postseason appearances have placed teams in CCS playoffs and NorCal championship brackets. Strength and conditioning programs reference collegiate models used at nearby universities such as Stanford University and San Francisco State University for athlete development and NCAA eligibility compliance.

Notable Alumni

Alumni have entered public life, the arts, sports, and technology firms concentrated in the Bay Area. Graduates have included leaders who worked at companies like Hewlett-Packard, Google, Facebook, and Oracle, performers connected to Broadway and the American Conservatory Theater, athletes drafted into Major League Baseball and the National Football League, and public servants who served in the California State Legislature, San Mateo County offices, and municipal government roles. Other alumni have pursued advanced study at institutions such as Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Los Angeles, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and have been recognized by organizations including the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Sciences, and arts awards at the Kennedy Center.

Category:High schools in San Mateo County, California Category:Public high schools in California