Redwood High School

History

By 1957, the school age population of the Tamalpais Union High School District had grown too large for Tamalpais High School and Archie Williams High School to accommodate. With the pressure of students coming in from elementary schools from Sausalito to Belvedere to Ross, voters chose to create a new school, and chosen for its site was the marshy area that extended east from the centrally located town of Larkspur to U.S. Route 101, an area that townspeople had called "the slough" since Larkspur was settled. The importance of wetlands was not yet widely appreciated (this was the era right before Save the Bay was founded), and the land was seen as "waste." Beginning in early 1957, a large section of the marsh was flattened and filled, two roads were cut through from Magnolia Avenue out to the new school, and school buildings were constructed, along with a playing field and parking lot.

The school opened its doors in 1958. The first students who were to attend the new high school chose the name of the newspaper and sports teams: the Giants became their mascot in reference to the nearby redwood trees. School publications followed the tree theme: the Bark became the school's newspaper, and the Log the school's yearbook. The colors red and gray were a source of much contention, but were finally accepted.

On September 11, 2008, Redwood was recognized by the federal Blue Ribbon Schools Program.

The school has received the California Distinguished School

award three times (1990, 1996, and 2003).

Campus

Redwood High School is set at the foot of Mount Tamalpais on a 63.88-acre campus which has 81 classrooms, a library, theater, swimming pool, and athletics fields. The original campus was opened in 1958, with additions to the main building made over the next few years. Redwood's main school building (an original; see above) contains approximately 80 classrooms, the Bessie Chin Library, four labs, and the theater. Other buildings on the campus contain industrial technology areas; photography, ceramics, and graphic arts studios; band room; and a cafeteria. Other sports and performance facilities include a large gymnasium and smaller gym, a 40-meter swimming pool, tennis courts, a track, athletic fields, and an outdoor amphitheater.

Between 2002 and 2006, Redwood High School undertook major modernization as part of a $121 million facilities bond measure approved by the Tam District voters. Approximately $40 million was spent to remodel classrooms, refurbish the gymnasium, tennis courts, and theater, and install new athletics fields. In 2007–2008 Redwood again rebuilt the often flooded parking lot. During the 2008–2009 school year, a new small gymnasium was constructed, the 40-meter pool was built, and new tennis courts laid. During the summer of 2011, an experimental classroom space was created to allow teachers the opportunity to explore new technologies, classroom management, and instructional strategies. In 2026 a Marin County bond measure funded an expansion arts and music building.

In the spring of 2006, Redwood art students created a 40-foot mural of the Marin County countryside. The mural was created on an exterior wall of the cafeteria.

Awards

In 2025 student Joel Kurtzman won first place in the Congressional Art Competition (for the state's 2nd congressional district) for his photograph entitled "Golden Hour Fog" taken from Bolinas Ridge. The school's student newspaper the Redwood Bark has won numerous awards; in 2026 Ara Rosenthal of Wired wrote that it was "one of the most award-winning high school newspapers" in the country.

Notable alumni

Mike Altman, Olympic rower

Greg Behrendt, stand-up comedian, author, TV performer

Buddy Biancalana, shortstop for 1985 World Series champion Kansas City Royals

William Gagan

Gunnar Carlsson, professor, Department of Mathematics, Stanford

Pete Carroll, former head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, Seattle Seahawks and USC

Gabrielle Carteris, actress, Beverly Hills, 90210

Jake Curhan (born 1998), American football offensive tackle for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL)

Matt Doyle, actor

David Dukes, film, television, and Tony Award-nominated stage actor

Steve Fainaru, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist, co-author of League of Denial

Mark Fainaru-Wada, investigative journalist, co-author of Game of Shadows

Gary Fisher, mountain bike innovator, promoter

Ken Flax (1981), two-time Olympic athlete, holder of NCAA record in the hammer throw

Don Francis M.D., epidemiologist, pioneer in AIDS and HIV research

Erin Gray, actress, Silver Spoons