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| La Salle High School (Pasadena) | |
|---|---|
| Name | La Salle High School (Pasadena) |
| Established | 1956 |
| Type | Private, Catholic, College Preparatory |
| Affiliation | Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Campus | Urban |
| Colors | Royal blue and white |
| Mascot | Lancer |
| City | Pasadena, California |
| Country | United States |
La Salle High School (Pasadena) is an all-male Catholic college preparatory institution founded in 1956 and sponsored by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Located in Pasadena, California, the school serves students from across the San Gabriel Valley, Los Angeles County, and neighboring Orange County. La Salle emphasizes Lasallian pedagogy, college matriculation, and a combination of faith formation with rigorous Advanced Placement and honors coursework.
La Salle opened in 1956 during the postwar expansion of Pasadena, California and the growth of Catholic secondary education associated with the Second Vatican Council era. The founding was part of a broader movement by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools that included institutions such as La Salle College High School, De La Salle High School (Concord, California), and international Lasallian schools responding to demographic shifts after World War II and the Baby Boom. Over subsequent decades, La Salle navigated the social changes of the Civil Rights Movement, the curricular reforms inspired by Cardinal John Henry Newman’s writings on education, and regional developments tied to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area. Leadership transitioned from religious Brothers to a mixed faculty model reflecting trends seen at Notre Dame High School (Sherman Oaks), St. Francis High School (La Cañada Flintridge), and other Catholic preparatory schools. Infrastructure upgrades in the late 20th and early 21st centuries followed capital campaigns similar to projects at Harvard-Westlake School, Flintridge Preparatory School, and Aquinas High School (San Bernardino).
The campus is situated near landmarks such as Old Pasadena, Colorado Street Bridge, and Rose Bowl Stadium. Facilities include academic buildings, science laboratories, a performing arts center, and athletic fields comparable to venues at Mercy High School (Burlingame), Blake School, and Solebury School. Technological improvements mirror initiatives at Phillips Exeter Academy, St. Ignatius College Preparatory, and Loyola High School (Los Angeles), including campus-wide network upgrades and STEM lab modernization. The chapel supports liturgies in the tradition of Roman Catholic Church rites, while student gatherings echo programs at Bishop Alemany High School and Cathedral High School (Los Angeles). Proximity to transportation arteries such as Interstate 210 and California State Route 134 facilitates commuter access from Glendale, California and Burbank, California.
La Salle offers a college-preparatory curriculum with honors and Advanced Placement courses in subjects aligned with college requirements at institutions like University of California, Los Angeles, University of Southern California, and California Institute of Technology. Departments include English, mathematics, science, social studies, world languages, and theology, reflecting pedagogical models used by Phillips Academy Andover, Choate Rosemary Hall, and St. John's Preparatory School. Counseling and college guidance programs coordinate with resources similar to those at College Board-partner schools and employ tools used by advisors at Stanford University and University of California campuses to support matriculation. Extracurricular academic teams have participated in competitions analogous to Scholastic Bowl, Mathletes, and Science Olympiad.
Student life features campus ministry, service learning, clubs, and performing arts programs inspired by activities at Jesuit High School (Portland), Riverside Polytechnic High School, and Arcadia High School. Ministry programs include retreats modeled on Kairos retreats and service partnerships with organizations such as Catholic Charities USA and Habitat for Humanity. Clubs range from robotics and debate to cultural associations reflecting the diversity of Pasadena, California and neighboring communities like Altadena, California and San Marino, California. The performing arts program stages musicals and concerts influenced by curricula at Carnegie Mellon University preparatory partners and regional theater groups including Pasadena Playhouse.
Athletic programs compete in leagues alongside schools such as Flintridge Preparatory School, Sierra Canyon School, and Bishop Amat Memorial High School. Sports offered include football, basketball, baseball, soccer, track and field, cross country, volleyball, wrestling, and swimming. The football program has produced players who advanced to National Collegiate Athletic Association rosters and occasional professional careers in National Football League organizations. Strength and conditioning, sports medicine, and coaching initiatives take cues from National Federation of State High School Associations standards and collegiate programs at University of Southern California and University of California, Los Angeles.
Admissions involve academic records, recommendations, and entrance assessments similar to practices at Harvard-Westlake School and Loyola High School (Los Angeles). Financial aid and scholarship opportunities are offered to qualifying families, with assistance programs paralleling those from Archdiocese of Los Angeles initiatives and private scholarship funds like Ronald McDonald House Charities-supported awards. Tuition levels are set annually and reflect operating costs consistent with independent Catholic secondary schools in Los Angeles County.
Alumni have included figures who pursued careers in government, athletics, the arts, and business, with graduates attending universities such as University of Southern California, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and Pepperdine University. Faculty and visiting instructors have had ties to institutions and organizations like Pasadena City College, California Institute of Technology, USC Thornton School of Music, and Pasadena Playhouse. Notable alumni have participated in professional sports leagues including Major League Baseball and National Basketball Association, served in public office, or contributed to cultural institutions such as Norton Simon Museum and Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Category:High schools in Pasadena, California Category:Catholic secondary schools in California