Mendocino High Schools

The original cornerstone for Mendocino High School was set in 1893.  The main hallway proudly displays over 100 years of graduating classes, a visual representation of the continuity in our community. The schools are located on and around a hill overlooking the historic village of Mendocino and the Pacific Ocean.

The Mendocino High Schools are comprised of four high schools, offering a diversity of options despite our small size:  Mendocino High School (MHS), Mendocino Community High School (MCHS), Mendocino Sunrise High School (MSHS), and the Mendocino Alternative High School (MAHS) independent study program.  The four small high schools serve about 180 9^th to 12^th grade students.  The Mendocino High Schools all celebrate diversity and are welcoming to all students.  Transfer students often comment on a level of acceptance that they were unable to find at other schools.  School culture is one of safety, respectfulness, and excellence. 

All the high schools are in physical proximity and interact on some level, with students taking courses from a combination of sites:

Mendocino High School is a traditional high school that offers students a college preparatory program and houses the majority of courses offered. 

Mendocino Community High School is a “school within a school” that offers students an alternative to the traditional comprehensive high school model.  Community school staff and students create a close-knit, family-like learning community that fosters creativity, academic rigor, personal growth, and community involvement. 

Mendocino Sunrise High School is a continuation high school that enrolls a small number of at-risk students who have not been successful in either MCHS or MHS and provides them a supportive atmosphere to work toward gaining credits.  The partial day attendance requirement and individualized instruction has provided many of our neediest students with the opportunity to receive a diploma. 

Mendocino Alternative High School independent study program provides a valuable option for students who do not operate successfully in a traditional setting, for parents who choose to raise their kids in an alternative setting, or for students in unique situations, such as travel or frequent illness.