El Dorado High School is a 9th-12th grade public high school located in Placentia, California. Established in 1966, it is one of four high schools in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District. The campus is located at 1651 Valencia Avenue, approximately 29 miles from downtown Los Angeles and 18 miles from the California coastline. The school currently has an enrollment of over 2,400 students. The school's first graduating class was the class of 1969. The campus received a major renovation in 2002. The gymnasium is dedicated to Joe Raya, a former Athletics department staff member. The theatre is dedicated to Mrs. Gai Jones, who directed the theatre department from 1967 to 2002. In 2004, Athletic director Sally Reclusado was selected as the CIF Southern Section Athletic Director of the Year. Librarian Linda Birtler was awarded the Orange County Department of Education's Outstanding Contribution to Education Award. El Dorado has also won the prestigious Blue Ribbon Award. The school is home to the El Dorado Hawks Marching Band; their past achievements include a performance in the Sydney Olympics Opening Ceremony, the Tournament of Roses Parade and top honors in two trips to the Hawaii International Competition.
Marching band
El Dorado has an award-winning marching band, wind ensemble, symphonic band, winter drumline, colorguard, and three jazz ensembles. The band has performed in Canada, Florida, Hawaii, and Nevada, as well as at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and 2005 and 2010 Tournament of Roses Parade. Also, the drumline and color guard performed in the opening ceremonies for the 2011 Tournament of Roses Parade. The Hawks have also performed for President Ronald Reagan and President George H.W. Bush. During the 2007 marching season, El Dorado was undefeated in field tournament competition receiving sweepstakes awards at the Irvine Field Tournament, the Mira Mesa Field Tournament, the Vista Field Tournament, and the Arcadia Festival of Bands Field Tournament. El Dorado's three jazz ensembles are also well known for their high-level musicianship and straight-ahead jazz style. The three bands have consistently received top honors at local and regional competitions. In Spring 2006, El Dorado's jazz ensemble 1 was distinguished as the "Outstanding Instrumental Ensemble" at the Reno International Jazz Festival.
Athletics
School teams have won various competitions as follows:
2008: the wrestling team won the CIF Central Division Championship with 186.5 points, edging out Millikan High School & Calvary Chapel High School of Santa Ana.
2010: the varsity cheer team won their first USA Spirit High School National Championship after finishing second in 2009.
2011: the varsity cheer team became the first California School in 23 years to win the UCA National Cheerleading Championships in Orlando Florida. Their performance was broadcast on ESPN and warranted a Foxnews LA feature upon their return. This team finished their second undefeated season and captured CIF, State as well as both the UCA and USA National Championships.
