# El Toro High School

El Toro High School is a public high school in Lake Forest, California, United States. It is one of five high schools in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District (SVUSD) and serves Lake Forest as well as its district of Portola Hills and a small portion of east Irvine and northern Mission Viejo. Students living in Foothill Ranch, which is zoned to Trabuco Hills High School may choose to attend El Toro out of convenience. "El Toro" was the name of the community from the 1870s until a referendum in 1991. The school has served the area since 1973.

## History

El Toro began participating in the International Baccalaureate Program in 2004, the program was scheduled to end in 2011 due to district and state budget cuts, however it was slated to continue into 2012 school year.
During the 2007 California wildfires, more specifically the Santiago Fire, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger made a speech at El Toro High School It was also used as an evacuation center.
During the 2020 California Wildfires, more specifically during the Silverado Fire, El Toro High School was again used as an evacuation center for those that were impacted in Foothill Ranch, Lake Forest, and Portola Hills.
The high school was also the former home of the "El Toro 20 Stair", which became a notable spot for skateboarding as many high-profile tricks had been filmed at the stairs.

## Notable alumni

* Nolan Arenado - Professional baseball third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals and Colorado Rockies; 10-time Gold Glove Award winner, 8-time All-Star, 6-time Platinum Glove Award winner
* Paul Skenes - Professional baseball pitcher - first overall pick in 2023 Major League Baseball draft; 2023 College World Series Most Outstanding Player; 2023 National Pitcher of the Year; 2023 Dick Howser Trophy; 2022 John Olerud Award winner.
* Adrien Beard - Storyboard Artist and Voice, known for voicing Tolkien Black on South Park
* Lauren Chamberlain - softball infielder, played first base for the University of Oklahoma, where she is the Division I career home runs leader, also played professionally
* Matt Chapman - Professional baseball third baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics San Francisco Giants; 4-time Gold Glove Award winner, 2-time Platinum Glove Award winner
* Robin Holmes-Sullivan - Psychologist, president of Lewis & Clark College
* Diane Murphy - Actress, twin sister of Erin murphy, who also played the role of "Tabitha Stephens" in the ABC television sitcom Bewitched.
* Erin Murphy - Actress, best known for her role as young Tabitha Stephens in the ABC television sitcom Bewitched.
* Marc Stein - American sports reporter best known for his coverage of the National Basketball Association.
* Christina Smith - Playmate Playboy Centerfold March 1978
* Brian Krause - Actor, Charmed, Steven Kings Sleepwalkers
* Kristy Swanson - Actress, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
* Rob Johnson - NFL player, Buffalo Bills quarterback
* Steve Stenstrom - NFL player, quarterback: Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions and the Denver Broncos
* Austin Romine - Professional baseball catcher for the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, St. Louis Cardinals, and the Cincinnati Reds.
* Horse the Band - Metalcore band