Prior to 1936, students in all of coastal North County went to high school in
Oceanside, California, as the areas of Carmel Valley and Torrey Hills were not developed for several decades. In 1936, the San Dieguito Union High School District was created and
San Dieguito High School in Encinitas opened to serve students living in Del Mar, Solana Beach, Rancho Santa Fe, and Encinitas. It remained the only high school in the district until Torrey Pines High School opened in 1974. Based on population growth in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and projections, a second high school was needed. At the time, San Dieguito High School and Earl Warren Middle School were forced to do double sessions to deal with the shortage of space. Earl Warren at the time also had the ninth grade freshman class attending its school. In the early 1970s after two defeats, a bond issue placed on the ballot finally passed. A location was chosen at what seemed out-of-the-way at the time; however, the location was based on the projected growth of what was then known as “North City West” – commonly known today as
Carmel Valley. Torrey Pines High School opened in the fall of 1974. The architecture reflects the era with stained/painted wood and the avocado greens, yellow, and orange decor popular in the era 1970s. When it initially opened, access to the school came from the original alignment of the two-lanes only Black Mountain Rd., but the access road was later modified when Del Mar Heights Rd. was extended east. The architecture of the school was considered modern at the time. Design features included an open courtyard and wide hallways with large carpeted podium-like benches one could sit on. The classrooms had no windows, and many did not have doors. It also had its own
Black Box Theater. The large library (the Media Center) was considered state-of-the-art at the time. In 2016, construction began on the Media Center to build a new exterior and entrance. Construction was completed December 2016. There were many logistical problems in its initial opening, including an immediate shortage of classrooms and lockers, and lack of a food service building and a football stadium. As a result, portable classrooms and a bank of vending machines were used. Football games were played at
San Dieguito High School. The school rid of all lockers in the 1990s. In the 1980s, the school expanded. Various changes include the Media Center building's expansion towards Del Mar Heights Rd., the addition of a parking/transportation area, the repurposing of portable classrooms into athletics and weight rooms, the addition of a football stadium, and the conversion of the original black box theater into a lecture hall (with a second black box theater, a converted machine shop, later added in the Arts building). In 2003, Building E and G were built. Stairs were added to the main building. In the summer of 2008, more stairs were constructed leading from the parking lot nearest Del Mar Heights Road to the English building. In November 2012, Prop AA, a $449 million bond initiative aimed at improving the public school district, was passed by tax payers. Since then, ongoing construction is taking place to include a performing arts center (the PAC), culinary arts center, revamping the student/front entry way, building more science and technology based classrooms, building a weight room, and moving classrooms in temporary buildings into permanent structures. The school's newly constructed Performing Arts Center opened on May 1, 2019. ==Demographics==