Demographics of our Viking Community
Located on the south shore of Lake Tahoe, nestled high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, South Tahoe High School (STHS) is the comprehensive four-year high school for the Lake Tahoe Unified School District.
As of September 2025, STHS serves a diverse student body of 1,049 students. Our school demographics include:
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Racial and Ethnic Diversity: 51.5% White, 48.3% Hispanic, 0.03% Filipino, and 0.17% Other Races/Ethnicities.
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English Language Learners: 12.5%
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Students with Disabilities: 12.5%
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Students Experiencing Socioeconomic Disadvantage: 62.2% (52% Free Meals, 10.2% Reduced-Price Meals)
According to self-reported 2024/25 school year data, 52% of parents have a college degree. The median household income for South Lake Tahoe residents in 2020 was $48,653, significantly lower than California's state median of $75,277, as the U.S. Census Bureau reported.
Expanding Course Offerings
STHS is proud to announce the continued growth of our rigorous academic and elective offerings. We've increased our dual enrollment options through Lake Tahoe Community College and Folsom College to 21 for the 2025/26 school year, providing more opportunities for students to earn college credit. Additionally, introducing Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry brings our total number of Pre-AP, Honors, and AP courses to 17, with another AP science course planned for 2026/27.
Also noteworthy, we’ve added a "Bilingual Tutors" course, allowing students to support their peers in core academic subjects while earning elective credit.
In the long term, STHS aims to add future dual enrollment offerings to allow students to earn an Associate of Arts degree upon graduation.
Pathways and Systems of Support
STHS is committed to helping more students and families understand and complete the "a-g" requirements for admission to California's state universities (CSU and UC). Equally important, we'll continue to provide the support needed to help students meet these rigorous academic standards.
For the 2025/26 school year, we will also focus on expanding our Career and Technical Education (CTE) offerings. This will include forging new community partnerships to offer students hands-on learning experiences and real-world skills through our capstone courses.
To better support student achievement, we increased the number of FLEX sessions in the 2024/25 school year. We now have four 35-minute FLEX sessions a week, giving students more time for academic support, enrichment, and independent study. In addition, we continue to provide tailored resources and support for our homeless students.
The Wellness Center has increased staffing for 2025/26 and remains a vital resource in promoting student well-being, offering services that support the mental and emotional health of the student body.
Engaging Extracurricular Opportunities
Outside the classroom, STHS excels in providing diverse extracurricular opportunities. The school boasts 29 active clubs, a variety of visual and performing arts programs and annual performances, and 16 male and 17 female athletic teams. Extracurricular activities play a vital role in fostering students' sense of identity and belonging while promoting engagement. We also continue to offer a popular personalized workout program available before/after school and during the summer months, which many students take advantage of to stay active and prepared for athletic competition.
Developing our Leadership and School Culture
STHS remains focused on cultivating a positive school culture and developing student and staff leadership within our team. The school aims to empower students by promoting values contributing to a safe, connected, and high-achieving community. Consistent communication through newsletters, Viking Television, and social media keeps students, parents, and staff informed and engaged.
Adopting Practices to Support Continuous Improvement
Recognizing the importance of professional growth, STHS prioritizes ongoing learning for staff. Weekly Professional Learning Community (PLC) sessions allow staff to collaborate on refining teaching practices, align learning outcomes, and create common and formative assessments. In some departments, teachers are now collaboratively developing learning scales to clarify learning outcomes for students and encouraging opportunities for student self-assessment.
Beyond our yearly Professional Development Day, some of our departments, like the Math team, are participating in other collaborative training to enhance staff skills, knowledge, and effectiveness. Now in their third year of working with California Education Partners and the El Dorado Office of Education, the team’s hard work is paying off with increases in achievement!
Structured Growth
In recognition of our commitment to a safe, supportive, and collaborative school culture, STHS earned Level One certification from High Reliability Schools last year. We are now working on elements of Level Two, which focuses on effective teaching in every classroom.
Revisiting our Vision
To ensure that we continue to provide high-quality academic opportunities, robust extracurricular engagement, and a supportive, nurturing environment for all students, STHS will revisit our vision statement this fall. By clarifying our vision for the future, we will remain well-positioned to continue our path of excellence.
This Principal's Message, shared with all STHS students, staff, and parents, highlights our annual goals for the 2025/26 school year.