Mira Costa High School
Mira Costa High School is Manhattan Beach’s only public high school. It is located in East Manhattan Beach, at the corner of Artesia Blvd. and Peck Ave. It draws students from all across Manhattan Beach. High school-aged students in Hermosa Beach and in North Redondo Beach also have the choice of attending Mira Costa High School (or Redondo Union High School). All told, Mira Costa is home to a total of just under 2,500 students.
Built in 1950, Mira Costa received significant updates following the approval of the $67.5 million Measure BB for renovations, repairs and new teaching spaces. The final elements of these improvements were completed in 2015 and the new buildings include a Math/Science building, General Academics building, and a multi-purpose building. Furthermore, with the approval of Measure EE in 2016, Mira Costa was able to unveil its $39-million state-of-the-art athletics complex in 2021. With new and improved facilities, Mira Costa has been featured in some notable Disney Channel TV shows like A.N.T. Farm and Hannah Montana.
Mira Costa’s tradition of excellence provides a positive learning environment which includes a wide range of curricular and co-curricular opportunities; clear expectations for academic achievement and responsible behavior; respect for people, property, and ideas; programs that develop the skills of communication, teamwork, problem-solving, technology, and information management; and dedicated and supportive staff, parents, and community partners who focus on “students first.”
Mira Costa runs on a traditional semester schedule. Students are required to complete 230 credits — with 5 credits earned for each class completed per semester. There are six periods with an optional zero period. Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are required to take six classes; while seniors may take five classes. Mira Costa provides a wide range of rigorous courses for students including 38 Advanced Placement/Honors courses, CTE pathways, and a variety of elective options. For example, a rigorous three-year biotechnology program offers an opportunity for practical application of coursework, exposure to team problem-solving situations and industry internship experience. All classes meet for 56 minutes daily, with a periodic office hours schedule. The teacher to student ratio is 27 to 1.
Mira Costa has earned a 9/10 rating from GreatSchools.org, with a 10/10 rating for test scores.
Mira Costa’s extracurricular programs have won awards that include statewide and national recognition. Its programs of excellence include its newspaper La Vista, its Model United Nations program, the Mustang Morning News station, the Associated Student Body student government program, and athletics, arts, music and drama programs.
Since Mira Costa opened in 1950, the athletic program has grown to include 35 varsity teams. In 2021-2022, Mira Costa won one league championship and 2 CIF championships, with 16 teams advancing to CIF playoffs. Additionally, more than half of all Mira Costa athletes earned recognition as scholar athletes, achieving a GPA of 3.2 or above for the school year.
Mira Costa’s Drama/Tech Department is a robust program that engages over 100 students in the production of professional quality theater productions and regularly wins awards at theater competitions.
The GRAMMY® Award winning Music Department at Mira Costa High School is comprised of award-winning choirs, bands, and orchestras. Mira Costa bands provide a broad range of musical opportunities, including concert ensembles, jazz ensembles and marching ensembles. The concert ensembles have been featured at Carnegie Hall; the highly regarded jazz program recently took the silver medal at the Berklee High School Jazz Festival (America’s largest and oldest), and the marching band is a perennial finalist at Southern California Championships.
Mira Costa Orchestras have performed in highly acclaimed venues such as Beijing Concert Hall, the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, Bella Concert Hall in Calgary, Palau de la Musica Catalana in Barcelona, and twice each at Carnegie Hall and Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Mira Costa was named a California Distinguished School in 2011 and a Gold Ribbon School in 2015. In 2014, choral teacher Michael Hayden was named a California Teacher of the Year - the same year that the music program in MBUSD received a GRAMMY® Award for excellence. In 2022, AP and Honors Chemistry teacher Teresa Nielsen was named a Teacher of the Year for L.A. County.
Mira Costa High School successfully completed its most recent WASC accreditation cycle in the spring of 2022.
Contact Info for Mira Costa High School
Address:
1401 Artesia Blvd.
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Phone: (310) 318-7337
Principal: Karina Gerger
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