# Notre Dame High School (Sherman Oaks, California)
**Notre Dame High School** (Sherman Oaks) is a private Catholic college-preparatory high school in [Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles](https://www.edgepedia.org/sherman-oaks-los-angeles), California, serving grades 9 through 12 at 13645 Riverside Drive, at the northeast corner of Woodman Avenue and Riverside Drive.[1](https://www.cde.ca.gov/SchoolDirectory/details?cdscode=19647336935399) • [2](https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/8019/) Founded in 1947 by the Congregation of Holy Cross, it opened as an all-boys school with a freshman class of 125 and became coeducational in 1983.[3](https://www.ndhs.org/about/holy-cross-school/our-history) The school's teams are known as the Knights, and its mascot tradition gives the school its informal name, Notre Dame of Los Angeles.[4](https://www.homes.com/school/sherman-oaks-ca/notre-dame-high-school/j7b5sy6zlvrbh/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1947, by the Congregation of Holy Cross; construction completed August 1947, classes started the following month[2](https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/8019/) |
| First year | All-boys; freshman class of 125, faculty of five, four of them Holy Cross Brothers[3](https://www.ndhs.org/about/holy-cross-school/our-history) |
| Site | Land at Riverside Drive and Woodman Avenue purchased in 1945 for $45,000[3](https://www.ndhs.org/about/holy-cross-school/our-history) |
| Co-education | First female students admitted in 1983-84: 66 sophomores and 119 freshmen[3](https://www.ndhs.org/about/holy-cross-school/our-history) |
| Enrollment | 1,263 students in grades 9-12; student-teacher ratio 14:1[5](https://www.niche.com/k12/search/best-catholic-high-schools/c/los-angeles-county-ca/) |
| Outcomes | 98% of graduates pursuing higher education; 96% of AP students achieving a passing score[6](https://www.ndhs.org/) |
| Architecture | Spanish Colonial (Mission) Revival, with arches along the original Riverside Building; campus identified in SurveyLA as eligible as a City Historic-Cultural Monument[2](https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/8019/) • [3](https://www.ndhs.org/about/holy-cross-school/our-history) • [7](https://chattel.us/nd-hs-expand) |
## Founding and Holy Cross heritage
The school traces its origin to post-revolutionary France. After the [French Revolution](https://www.edgepedia.org/french-revolution), the Brothers of St. Joseph were founded by Fr. Jacques Dujarie in Ruille, France, in 1820 to educate the French; after 15 years of teaching in parish schools, the Brothers merged with a group of parish priests under Blessed Basil Moreau at Sainte Croix, near [Le Mans](https://www.edgepedia.org/le-mans). Moreau later added a group of Sisters, and the three-part foundation became the Congregation of Holy Cross.[3](https://www.ndhs.org/about/holy-cross-school/our-history)
That order carried its educational mission to the United States, founding the [University of Notre Dame](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-notre-dame) in Indiana, and in the 1940s a group of Holy Cross Brothers traveled to [Southern California](https://www.edgepedia.org/southern-california). In 1941 they were invited to staff St. Anthony's Parish High School in Long Beach; shortly afterward, demand arose for a new Catholic high school in the [San Fernando Valley](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-fernando-valley). The corner lot was bought in 1945 for $45,000, and the school opened in 1947.[3](https://www.ndhs.org/about/holy-cross-school/our-history)
## Campus and architecture
The first building, completed in 1946-47, was a late example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style, in keeping with the mission heritage of the San Fernando Valley, which takes its name from the eighteenth-century Mission of San Fernando.[2](https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/8019/) • [3](https://www.ndhs.org/about/holy-cross-school/our-history) The original Riverside Building, later renamed the Moreau Building in honor of Holy Cross founder Fr. Basile Moreau, C.S.C., set the architectural pattern.[3](https://www.ndhs.org/about/holy-cross-school/our-history)
**Building chronology.** The campus grew in stages: a gymnasium in May 1951; a five-room annex by August 1953; a band room and shop by August 1954; the Woodman Building, later renamed the St. Andre Bessette Building for the Congregation's first saint, in September 1956; and the Allegretti Building in May 1987.[3](https://www.ndhs.org/about/holy-cross-school/our-history) • [2](https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/8019/) Later additions include the Fritz B. Burns Center for the Arts and Technology, finished in December 2001 and opened in January 2002; new classrooms in the Riverside Building in 2003; the Hampton Science Center in January 2007; and the Joseph P. Rawlinson Aquatic Center and Marine Corps Memorial (baseball) Stadium in 2014.[2](https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/8019/) • [3](https://www.ndhs.org/about/holy-cross-school/our-history)
A renovation wave followed the Light the Way capital campaign, which ended in January 2016: the gym received a new floor, lighting, and air conditioning in 2010; the former Brothers' Residence became the Holy Cross Center for administration in 2011-2012; the renovated library reopened in 2012 as the Barry Stubblefield Library; and the Fritz B. Burns Gymnasium was named and expanded with the Donahue Family Fitness Center in January 2016.[3](https://www.ndhs.org/about/holy-cross-school/our-history) The first building of a newer expansion, a parking garage, was under construction in 2020.[7](https://chattel.us/nd-hs-expand)
The historic character of the campus is formally recognized: SurveyLA identified it as individually eligible as a City Historic-Cultural Monument, and preservation consultants also found it eligible as a potential [National Register of Historic Places](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-register-of-historic-places) and California Register of Historical Resources historic district, so that infill construction has been designed to conform with the Secretary's Standards under the California Environmental Quality Act.[7](https://chattel.us/nd-hs-expand)
## Academics
Notre Dame describes itself as a college preparatory school and offers ten academic departments: Communications, Computer Science and Engineering, English, Mathematics, Modern and Classical Languages, Physical Education, Science, Social Studies, Theology, and Visual and Performing Arts.[8](https://www.ndhs.org/academics) Graduation requirements include four years of English and four years of Religious Studies, three and a half years of social studies, three years each of mathematics and science (four and three-and-a-half to four years respectively recommended), two years of foreign language, one year each of physical education and visual or performing arts, and one semester of computer science.[8](https://www.ndhs.org/academics) Electives range over engineering and technology, TV production, sports medicine, journalism, broadcasting and media, photography, music, theater, dance, and art.[8](https://www.ndhs.org/academics)
Reported outcomes include 98 percent of graduates pursuing higher education, 96 percent of AP students earning a passing score, a 14:1 student-teacher ratio, more than 100 clubs and activities, and four musical or drama productions a year.[6](https://www.ndhs.org/) The school reports 40 percent of students receiving tuition assistance and 57,991 hours of community service.[6](https://www.ndhs.org/)
## Admissions
Admission rests on middle school transcripts, High School Placement Test (HSPT) scores, an interview, and eighth-grade English and math teacher recommendations.[9](https://www.ndhs.org/incoming-freshmen) Applicants need not be Catholic to attend.[9](https://www.ndhs.org/incoming-freshmen) The school's only merit-based scholarship is tied to the HSPT: students who test on campus and score 95 or above are automatically awarded it, and applicants who test at Notre Dame are considered first.[9](https://www.ndhs.org/incoming-freshmen)
## Co-education and later history
In 1983-84 the school admitted its first female students, 66 sophomores and 119 freshmen, prompting adjustments to facilities, new faculty hires, and an expanded athletic department to incorporate girls' sports.[3](https://www.ndhs.org/about/holy-cross-school/our-history) The school remains coeducational, accepting students of all denominations, and has operated from the same Sherman Oaks campus for more than 70 years.[4](https://www.homes.com/school/sherman-oaks-ca/notre-dame-high-school/j7b5sy6zlvrbh/)
Among later figures, the school's longest-tenured water polo coach, John Hirn, stepped down in March 2025 after more than three decades leading the boys and girls programs.[10](https://www.notredameknights.com/news/100820)
## Reputation
Niche assigns the school an A+ overall grade and ranks it #12 among Catholic high schools in [Los Angeles County](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-angeles-county), out of 342 reviews averaging 4.0 stars.[5](https://www.niche.com/k12/search/best-catholic-high-schools/c/los-angeles-county-ca/) The private school database Private School Review places it among the top 20 percent of private schools in California.[11](https://www.privateschoolreview.com/notre-dame-high-school-profile)
## References
1. [Notre Dame High School, School Directory Details, California Department of Education](https://www.cde.ca.gov/SchoolDirectory/details?cdscode=19647336935399)
2. [Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Notre Dame High School Building, Sherman Oaks, PCAD](https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/8019/)
3. [Our History, Notre Dame High School Sherman Oaks](https://www.ndhs.org/about/holy-cross-school/our-history)
4. [Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, CA, Homes.com](https://www.homes.com/school/sherman-oaks-ca/notre-dame-high-school/j7b5sy6zlvrbh/)
5. [2027 Best Catholic High Schools in Los Angeles County, CA, Niche](https://www.niche.com/k12/search/best-catholic-high-schools/c/los-angeles-county-ca/)
6. [Notre Dame High School, Private College Preparatory, California](https://www.ndhs.org/)
7. [Notre Dame High School, Chattel, Inc. Historic Preservation Consultants](https://chattel.us/nd-hs-expand)
8. [A Notre Dame Education, Academics, Notre Dame High School Sherman Oaks](https://www.ndhs.org/academics)
9. [Incoming Freshmen, Notre Dame High School Sherman Oaks](https://www.ndhs.org/incoming-freshmen)
10. [John Hirn Steps Down as Notre Dame High School Boys and Girls Water Polo Coach, Notre Dame Knights Athletics](https://www.notredameknights.com/news/100820)
11. [Notre Dame High School Profile, Private School Review](https://www.privateschoolreview.com/notre-dame-high-school-profile)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Education and knowledge institutions › Schools and school districts › United States schools (K–12 institutions) › US schools: West and Rocky Mountain states › California schools*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license