Original Research by School Decision on Glendale High
Glendale High is a regular public high school serving grades nine through twelve in the Glendale Unified School District. The school sits on a suburban campus on East Broadway near Verdugo Road, in a city that mixes a lively, walkable downtown entertainment district near Brand Boulevard with a network of quiet residential neighborhoods and parks in the foothills and canyons. The school draws a diverse student body of roughly this size for a four-year high school, with enrollment across all four grades balanced fairly evenly. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, and the racial and ethnic composition reflects the broader Los Angeles County area, with white students as the largest group, followed by Hispanic students, then Asian students, and small numbers of Black and multiracial students. Data on the share of English learners and students with disabilities was not available.
Academic performance at Glendale High is below proficiency across tested subjects. In English language arts, a minority of all students met proficiency standards. In mathematics, proficiency was substantially lower, affecting the majority of the student body. In science, proficiency rates were even lower. These results reflect a school facing real challenges in helping students meet state academic standards, and a parent considering Glendale High may want to look into these trends further with the school and understand what academic support structures, tutoring, or intervention programs are available to students who need them.
Glendale Unified made a significant structural change in the 2025-26 school year by reverting secondary schools from a seven-period to a six-period schedule. That shift, driven by district budget shortfalls, directly reduces the number of electives available to most students. Glendale High is not one of the two exceptions that retained the seven-period schedule. For a student interested in exploring multiple subject areas or building a deeper breadth of electives as part of their high school experience, this limitation is worth factoring into the choice. Other program offerings and course details were not available in the provided data.
The district is also preparing for a future general obligation bond measure to address a large backlog of facilities needs identified in its 2026-onward Facilities Master Plan. If approved by voters, such a measure would fund facility repairs and modernization but would also increase local property taxes. Families considering a move to the area should be aware of both the current state of school facilities and the prospect of a property-tax-funded bond in the coming years.
Glendale itself is a mid-sized city anchored by downtown commercial and entertainment districts including shopping centers and the Alex Theatre, with major employers in entertainment, animation, and technology. Public transit options are robust, with the Glendale Transportation Center served by Metrolink, Amtrak, and the local Glendale Beeline bus network. Brand Park, a large neighborhood recreation hub at the base of the Verdugo Mountains, offers trails and sports facilities. Housing in the zip code is moderately expensive by Los Angeles County standards and has remained relatively stable in value. Downtown Glendale is highly walkable, while residential neighborhoods are quieter and more car-dependent. New mixed-use and multifamily development, particularly in the downtown and Brand Boulevard corridor, continues to reshape some parts of the city.
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