# Smithson Valley High School

Smithson Valley High School (commonly referred to as SVHS) is a public high school located in unincorporated Comal County, Texas, and is classified as a 5A school by the UIL. It is part of the Comal Independent School District and is one of the five out of seven traditional high schools within the district. Its student enrollment as of the beginning of the 2022-23 school year is 2,310. Smithson Valley’s student enrollment reached as high as 2,584 in the 2021-22 school year before some students were sent off to the brand-new and recently opened Pieper High School after the 2021-22 school year which was built to deal with the growing population of the school’s attendance zone and to provide relief to Smithson Valley's attendance roster.
Smithson Valley High School is zoned for students who live primarily in the southwestern of Comal County area, northern Bexar County area, and portions of Kendall County including the majority of Bulverde, Spring Branch, Smithson Valley, portions of Boerne, and portions of Canyon Lake. In 2015, the school was rated "Met Standard" by the Texas Education Agency.

## History

Smithson Valley High School was established in 1976 and was named after Benjamin Smithson, who was one of the first Texas Rangers, and an early settler in the area.
In 2007, some students were sent to the new Canyon Lake High School. Before the split, Smithson Valley's student enrollment reached as high as 2,500 students.
The enrollment for the 2021-22 school year was 2,584. As of that time, 15% of students were economically disadvantaged. 56.1% of students enrolled as of the 2021-22 school year were Caucasian, 35.2% Hispanic, 2.7% African American, and 6% other. The ratio of male to female students was 1:1 as of 2023. There was a student-to-teacher ratio of sixteen to one compared to the Texas average of twelve to one. 98% of enrolled students graduate in 2023.
After Pieper High School opened, enrollment at Smithson Valley was reduced.

## Athletics

The Smithson Valley Rangers compete in a variety of sports. The school is part of District 12-5A. In football, Smithson Valley has traveled to the University Interscholastic League State 5A Championship Game four times and the State 4A Championship Game once, resulting in four losses and one 5A state championship title in 2024 under Coach Larry Hill. The current football coach, Larry Hill, has been head of all athletics since 1993. Smithson Valley also offers club lacrosse, band, dance team, cheerleading, NJROTC, FFA, National Forensic League, and foreign language clubs along with several interest clubs.

### State Titles

* Softball
** 2001(4A), 2009(5A), 2012(4A)
* Academic Decathlon
** 1991 (Small Schools Division)
* Girl's Track & Field
** 2023(5A)
* Boys Golf
** 2024(5A)
* Girls Cross Country
** 2024(5A)
* Football
** 2024(5A D1)

## Notable alumni

* Eryk Anders — Cleveland Browns Practice Squad, professional Mixed Martial Artist, currently in the UFC's Middleweight Division
* Corey Clark — former 7th round pick San Diego Chargers
* Logan Cunningham — 2016 Olympic pole vaulter
* Jason LaRue — former MLB Catcher played with Cincinnati Reds (1999–2006), Kansas City Royals (2007) and the St. Louis Cardinals (2008–2010)
* Trevon Moehrig — defensive back at TCU, Jim Thorpe Award winner (2020), defensive back with the Las Vegas Raiders.
* Trey Moore - college football player
* Joe Pawelek — Professional football player, formerly for the Seattle Seahawks
* Zac Reininger — former pitcher for the Detroit Tigers (2017-2019)
* Ryan Jennings - Current Professional baseball pitcher Toronto Blue Jays
* Andrew Sendejo — current NFL defensive back
* Levi Williams — college football quarterback for the Utah State Aggies
* Jack Gibbens — Professional football player, linebacker with the Tennessee Titans.