Burbank High School is a public high school in Burbank, California. It was established in 1908 and opened on September 14, 1914, and its inaugural class had 334 students. It is a part of the Burbank Unified School District. The area had previously been served by the Glendale Union High School District.
Burbank High began an extensive facility update in 2003, and its first phase of reconstruction was a building housing new classrooms for the entire school. By 2005, the campus also had a new gym, pool, visual and performing arts center, parking structure[clarification needed], athletic field, and tennis courts.
In addition to a core curriculum that satisfies the University of California A-G requirements, Burbank High offers 17 Honors and Advanced Placement classes, a wide variety of visual arts classes, career technical classes and nationally recognized performing arts.[citation needed]
Burbank High was first established in 1908. Previously students attended Burbank schools until the high school level, when they moved onto Glendale Union High School District. After 1908 the Burbank School District withdrew from the Glendale High School district.[3] The school was named after a local citizen and land donor, not the American botanist Luther Burbank.
Burbank High is known for its nationally ranked advanced mixed show choir[citation needed] called In Sync, directed by Brett Carroll. Also directed by Brett Carroll, is the advanced women's group, "Impressions". The Burbank High School show choir program was recently ranked number one in the country for 2009 and 2010 and is ranked number one on another ranking list for the 2009 to 2010 season.[4][5] Burbank High School hosts its own non-competitive show choir competition called Burbank Blast, intended to be held annually starting 2008; starting in 2011, Burbank Blast became a full-fledged judged competition, the first Burbank High has ever hosted. Burbank High Show choirs finished the 2010 competition season ranked in the top five overall in the nation. This marks the third straight year for this accomplishment.
The school newspaper is titled "The Burbank Bulldog".
The students and staff also publish a yearbook, the Ceralbus. "Ceralbus" means "blue and white". In 2010, Burbank High's 2009 yearbook reached the finalist round in the National Pacemaker Award for the first time.[citation needed]
Burbank High School has been ranked one of the top 40 debate teams in the United States by the National Speech & Debate Association for the 2020-2021 school year; and the Harvard Debate Council's Best New School award in the Congressional Debate category. The program is notable for its success given it is one of the few national programs that do not rely on a school-provided curriculum or class, but rather alumni-based support. The program has reached the final round of the National Speech & Debate Tournament, the University of Kentucky's Tournament of Champions, and various other major tournaments, had members selected to the United States National Debate Team program, championed the California High School Speech Championship, and more.
Burbank High School ("The Bulldogs") fields a full range of high school interscholastic athletic teams including both men's and women's basketball teams, tennis, American football, cross country, baseball, softball, golf, track and field, swimming, water-polo, volleyball, soccer, and wrestling. It competes in the California Interscholastic Federation's Southern Section as a member of the Pacific League.
The Nickelodeon TV show Victorious used digitally altered images of Burbank High School as a model of the front of Hollywood Arts, the fictional high school in which most of the series took place. The interior of the school, however, was filmed at Nickelodeon on Sunset. Also, the Disney Channel TV show A.N.T. Farm used only the front of the school as transitions between scenes.
Corvette Summer was filmed at Burbank High School's auto shop building and classrooms.
In 1979 the Montreal Expos baseball team along with other MLB stars played basketball for charity in the BHS gym. The radio DJ Charlie Tuna was the MC.
