El Rancho High School opened its doors in September 1952. Whittier High School provided many of the original El Rancho students, and the Whittier Union District administered the new school until 1962 when the El Rancho Unified School District was developed.

The school opened before the municipal incorporation of Pico Rivera, within the unincorporated community of Rivera.

The school colors are Blue and Gray, representing the colors of the Union and Confederate soldiers of the American Civil War. The two neighboring communities were Pico and Rivera: in symbolic terms, the North and the South. Ultimately the school brought students from the two communities together. El Rancho, Spanish for The Ranch, provided the student body and community with the nickname, The Ranch.

The land for the school was donated by the community. There were restrictions on that donation, including that all new construction would match the existing structures. After the initial construction, residents were told that if they wanted a pool on campus, the community would have to pay for it.

The football team slogan is "You haven't been hit until you've been hit by The Ranch", which became well known throughout the south-land during the El Rancho powerhouse years of the 1960s.

In 2011, The El Rancho School Board voted to name the Football field at El Rancho 'Don Memorial Stadium'- "Ernie Johnson Field" in honor of his numerous and remarkable contributions and achievements during his tenure of head football coach at El Rancho. A banquet in the El Rancho Gymnasium attended by more than 400 past players, coaches was held on August 28, 2011. The City of Pico Rivera also declared that day as "Ernie Johnson Day". Official field dedication took place on September 23, 2011, at El Rancho's homecoming football game.

El Rancho's campus was 45 acres (180,000 m²) and was named for the fact that the land used to be a ranch, home to orange groves and avocados.

No seniors were present during the first year of school; the first graduating class was 1954.

Reflecting the local demographics, the school's initial student body was primarily white, non-Hispanic, but with a notable percentage of Hispanic students.

When El Rancho was in the process of opening, the students who were planning to attend the school attended assemblies to decide their mascot. The Don was adopted as the school's mascot by a vote of the students. Other mascot candidates included the Swallows, the Rocketeers, and Grizzlies.

Alma Mater

Title IX

Title IX is a federal law that was passed in 1972 to ensure that male and female students and employees in educational settings are treated equally and fairly. It protects against discrimination based on sex (including sexual harassment). In addition, Title IX protects transgender students and students who do not conform to gender stereotypes. State law also prohibits discrimination based on gender (sex), gender expression, gender identify, and sexual orientation. The preamble to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 states that: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."

Title IX Site Coordinator:
Kendall Goyenaga
Principal
[email protected]
(562) 801-7500

For more information regarding Title IX Rights & Responsibilities please refer to the District Human Resources website:
Human Resources Title IX web page