Los Altos High School is a comprehensive four-year public education high school located in the bedroom community of Hacienda Heights, California, which is located in eastern Los Angeles County. This Los Altos High School should not be confused with the Los Altos High School located in the city of Los Altos, California.The two high schools are not affiliated with each other.HistoryThe school was founded in 1958 originally as the second of seven high schools in the former La Puente Union High School District. It is now one of four high schools in the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District, which was created in 1970 by a vote of the electorate unifying four high schools and the Hudson Elementary School District.Enrollment levels of the school have varied over the years. In 1978, it reached its highest enrollment, of 2,850 students. In the early 1990s the enrollment dropped to about 1,500 and currently enrollment hovers around 2,100.Los Altos Academy of EngineeringThe Los Altos Academy of Engineering was founded in 1989 by Robert Franz and was a joint program between the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District and the La Puente Valley Regional Occupational Program. They have won awards for building and racing a solar car in international competition, and won took 1st place in the DaimlerChrysler/Trellis Build Your Dream Vehicle Competition in 2005 and 2006. From 2007-2009 the Academy's engineering students competed in the Shell Eco-Marathon Americas taking 1st place in the hydrogen division in 2007 and presenting the first hydrogen internal combustion engine to compete in 2008.Los Altos Visual and Performing Arts AcademyThe Visual and Performing Arts Academy is a cross-curricular program utilizing the talents of highly motivated instrumentalists, actors, dancers, vocalists, and technicians to present theater arts productions of exceptional quality. The program is available to students who have the interest, talent, and desire to experience the challenge of performing arts on a higher level. The five areas that comprise the VPAA bring their talents together for spring productions.
