Van Nuys High School opened in 1914 as one of three high schools in the San Fernando Valley serving what was then a rural community. In the intervening eight decades, society has undergone remarkable social and technological transformations that have required schools to make tremendous changes in order to prepare students for an increasingly demanding and complicated world. Despite these changes though, one fact has remained constant: students still need a solid foundation in traditional academic fields.[1]
Van Nuys High School, keenly aware of the needs of a rapidly changing world and those of traditional academics, has developed academic programs to fulfill these needs. Van Nuys High combines an outstanding faculty and a rigorous curriculum to produce an academic program that provides college-level instruction in English, Math, Social Studies, Foreign Language and Science. For the past 16 years, the Van Nuys High School Magnet graduates have routinely achieved a high rate of admission to top universities and our Magnet Programs have been recognized nationally for their outstanding academic programs.
The Los Angeles Unified School District ordered Van Nuys High School to convert to year-round scheduling in 2001 due to reasons such as overcrowding. Even though it relieved the overcrowding of Van Nuys High School, the Magnet Programs separated tracks, along with the residential students. The Performing Arts Magnet and the Medical Magnet was only available on the A-Track Schedule whilst the Math and Science Magnet was only available on the C-Track Schedule. B-Trackers could not take the same classes as C-Trackers whilst C-Trackers can only take certain A-Track classes. Teachers that had both A-Track and C-Track students were frustrated because the curriculum has to be synchronized with both tracks.[2]
Van Nuys High School returned to the Tradition School Year in 2005. It caused Van Nuys High School to be even more overcrowded.
The opening of Panorama High School in October 2006 relieved overcrowding at Van Nuys High School.
Van Nuys High School is also home to one of the best instrumental music programs in all of LAUSD. The VNHS Marching Band won the LAUSD Championships several times including a three year streak. Their concert band has always been given the "superior" marking at festivals. Other than being home to these two amazing groups, Van Nuys High School is also home to these wonderful and amazing musical emsembles: the sinfonietta, jazz ensemble, jazz combo (the only student organized group), brass ensemble, woodwind chamber groups and the VNHS Van naires (choral ensemble). It is also home of one of the few Organs built in LAUSD.
Much like two other LAUSD high schools, Fairfax High School and Hollywood High School, Van Nuys High School, especially the Performing Arts Magnet, has been a breeding ground for Hollywood talent over the years. There have been hundreds of famous graduates of Van Nuys High School, including:
