Mills High School

Mills High School
Home of the Vikings
Address
400 Murchison Drive Millbrae, California, San Mateo, 94030 USA
Coordinates	37°35′37″N 122°23′24″W / 37.5937°N 122.3900°W / 37.5937; -122.3900Coordinates: 37°35′37″N 122°23′24″W / 37.5937°N 122.3900°W / 37.5937; -122.3900
Information
School type	Public
Established	1958
School district	San Mateo Union High School District
CEEB Code	051972
Dean	Tim Christian
Principal	Paul Belzer
Faculty	68[1]
Grades	9-12
Age range	13-19
Enrollment	1,232 (2013–2014)[2]
Color(s)	Scarlet and Gold
Mascot	Vikings
Newspaper	The Thunderbolt
Website	www.mhs.schoolloop.com

Mills High School is a public high school in Millbrae, California, one of seven in the San Mateo Union High School District.

Mills was established in 1958. Mills High School narrowly had the highest Academic Performance Index (API) scores in the district in 2011 and 2012,^[3] and has been named a California Distinguished School three times (1988, 1996, 2009).^[4] Students choose many AP (Advanced Placement) classes, as well as participating in a wide variety of extracurricular activities such as music, clubs, sports, and more.

Home

San Mateo County residents approved Measure D in 2000^[5] and Measure M in 2006,^[6] which directly funded the repair and modernization of District schools, including Mills High School. Renovations include newly built East and West Gyms, a state-of-the-art performing arts theater, remodeled P.E. locker rooms, a remodeled pool and pool deck, a new running track, a modern mathematics hall, additional basketball and volleyball playing courts, and a new cafeteria. In addition, extensive work has been done to landscape the school, including work around the parking lots and in Center Court. Solar panels have been installed on the roof of the school. During the summer of 2013, the student parking lot was rebuilt to include more parking spaces for students and better lighting for safety purposes.

Academics

Enrollment for grades 9-12 in the 2012-2013 school year was 1,284 students. • In 2012, Mills received an Academic Performance Index (API) of 868,^[7] a growth of 3 points from 2011, and 13 points from 2010. • In 2012, Mills was granted a six-year accreditation through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. ^[8]

Mills also has a wide selection of Advanced Placement course offerings. They consist of:

• AP Biology

• AP Calculus AB

• AP Calculus BC

• AP Chinese Language and Culture

• AP Chemistry

• AP English Literature and Composition

• AP Japanese Language and Culture

• AP Macroeconomics

• AP Physics B

• AP Spanish Language

• AP Statistics

• AP Studio Art

• Drawing
• Art 2D (beginning 2013-2014 school year)
• Art 3D (beginning 2013-2014 school year)

• AP United States Government and Politics

• AP United States History

Academic Reputation

Mills High School has been recognized nationally for its academic excellence. In 2013, it was ranked 529th in Newsweek‍ '​s Top 2,000 Public High Schools^[9] and 519th nationally by US News and World Report.^[10] In 2012 it was ranked 816th nationally by The Washington Post.^[11]

A controversy erupted at the end of the 2012-2013 school year when over 600 Advanced Placement ("AP") scores were invalidated due to seating irregularities.^[12]

Statistics

Demographics

2013-2014^[2]

• 1,232 students: 663 Male (53.8%), 569 Female (46.2%)

Asian	Hispanic	White	Two or More Races	Filipino	Pacific Islander	African American	American Indian	Not Reported
628	205	187	102	83	21	4	2	0
51%	16.6%	15.2%	8.3%	6.7%	1.7%	0.3%	0.2%	0%

The majority of Mills students are Millbrae residents; others are San Bruno or Burlingame residents. The majority of Mills students come from Taylor Middle School in Millbrae, while some also come from Burlingame Intermediate School (BIS) and Parkside Middle School in San Bruno.

Standardized testing

SAT Scores for 2012–2013[13]
	Critical Reading Average	Math Average	Writing Average
Mills High	540	587	547
District	542	569	546
Statewide	492	508	489

2013 Academic Performance Index
2009 Base API[14]	2013 Growth API[15]	Growth in the API from 2009 to 2013
846	871	25

Cheerleading

In January 2011, the Mills Varsity Cheer squad performed at the NFL Pro Bowl game in Hawaii.^[16][17] They also performed at the 2008 game.

Athletics

Mills has a wide array of sports throughout the school year. In the fall, the sports are: Girls' Tennis, Girls' Golf, Water Polo, Cross Country, Football, and Volleyball. Winter sports include: Basketball, Soccer, and Wrestling. Spring sports consist of: Badminton, Baseball, Boys' Golf, Softball, Swimming, Boys' Tennis, and Track and Field.

Fall	Winter	Spring
Cross Country	Basketball	Badminton
Football	Soccer	Baseball
Girls' Golf	Wrestling	Boys' Golf
Girls' Tennis		Boys' Tennis
Volleyball		Softball
Water Polo		Swimming
		Track and Field

Notable alumni and faculty

• Wesley Chan (2002) — Co-Founder of Wong Fu Productions
• Paul Fanaika (2004) — NFL Football Player^[18]
• Larry Grenadier — Jazz bassist
• Gordon Lish (faculty) — Editor, author, teacher
• Leslie Maxie — Olympic athlete and World Youth World Record Holder / ESPN Newscaster
• Frank Portman (a.k.a. Dr. Frank) — Lead singer of the Mr. T Experience^[19]
• Adam Tafralis (2002) — Canadian Football League Quarterback^[20] and San Jose State career passing yards record holder
• James van Hoften (1962) — NASA astronaut^[21]
• Craig Venter (1964) — Biologist and businessman
• Nick Verreos — Fashion designer who competed on Project Runway

See also

• San Mateo County high schools

References

External links

• Official site of Mills High School
• School newspaper

San Mateo Union High School District High schools Aragon Burlingame Capuchino Hillsdale Mills San Mateo Continuation schools Peninsula Alternative schools San Mateo Middle College High School Closed schools Crestmoor