Founded in 1856 in San Francisco, Lowell High School is the oldest public high school west of the Mississippi. It is ranked as one of the highest performing public high schools in California, and has been recognized 4 times as a National Blue Ribbon School, 8 times as a California Distinguished School, and one time as a Gold Ribbon School. Lowell has been consistently ranked #1 in the Western Region for the number of Advanced Placement Exams given.