Located in the northern portion of the San Diego city limits, Mira Mesa is located in an area once situated by Native American tribes. Due to much of the land being considered wasteland, it was not put to much use for years until in the early 1960s. Developers saw its potential to relieve the housing shortage San Diego was facing. In 1974, a school bond issue was passed to help build the schools that the now full-fledged town of Mira Mesa sorely needed. On September 13, 1976, Mira Mesa Jr./Sr. High School was opened and now serves grades 9-12, fed by the local Challenger and Wangenheim Middle Schools. Since 1998, Mira Mesa High School has seen an increase in diversity among its students. As of the 2014-15 school year, the student body was composed at around 28% Filipino, 22% Hispanic, and 14% White. In the spring of 2016 the school was re-accredited for another six years by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Starting in 2019 major construction projects started on campus, including a new building replacing the bungalow units, and a new music building in the front of the school.
Athletics
Mira Mesa High School's Athletics programs include: Football, basketball, field hockey, waterpolo, swimming, baseball, soccer, tennis, cross country, cheerleading, volleyball, badminton, softball, wrestling, lacrosse, track and field etc. The Mira Mesa Wrestling team won its first ever CIF Championship in 2014. The wrestling team has also won nine consecutive Eastern League Titles and nine consecutive San Diego City Conference Titles.
Academics
SAT
In 2019, the average score for the SAT Verbal test is 527. The average for SAT math being 582. The average SAT score overall was 1672, ranking highest in the city of San Diego.
Advanced Placement and Honors
Mira Mesa High School offers a wide variety of AP and Honors classes. Classes range from AP Human Geography starting from 9th grade to subjects such as AP Literature for students in their senior year.
Language Programs
Mira Mesa High School offers several language programs, including Spanish, French, and Japanese. Students at the high school are required to take at least two years of a foreign language class, while the school recommends 3 according to college acceptance standards.
Mira Mesa High School's marching band, the Sapphire Sound, was part of the band that performed in the Sydney 2000 Olympics Opening Ceremonies. The band also performed in the 2016 Rose Parade in Pasadena, California on January 1, 2016, they have also been selected to return for the 2021 Parade. The marching band has 263 members. In 2019 the schools Symphonic Band and Symphonic Orchestra were invited to play at the Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Mira Mesa AFJROTC
Mira Mesa High School is home to the 936th Wing of the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps which is one of the thirteen units contained within the San Diego Unified School District JROTC Joint Brigade. Established in September 1993, CA-936 has served Mira Mesa High School and the local community, participating in many community service events such as the annual Mira Mesa Street Fair and Fourth of July Parade. Currently, CA-936 is led by two certified Aerospace Science Instructors consisting of a retired United States Air Force Major and a retired United States Air Force Master Sergeant. Cadet leadership within the wing consists of a thirteen-member "Senior Staff" led by a Wing Commander. The unit has four drill teams: a Sabre Team, an Armed Fancy Drill Team, an Unarmed Fancy Drill Team, and Color Guard. The program also boasts several special teams: a Cyberpatriot Team, an Awareness Presentation Team, an Academic Team, and a Youth Physical Fitness Team. The Wing has a friendly rivalry with Herbert Hoover High School's Army JROTC Group. They are also neighbors to the Scripps RanchAir Force JROTC unit. In addition to being awarded the Distinguished Unit Award multiple times by Headquarters AFJROTC, CA-936 has twice been awarded the SDUSD Brigade's Stilwell trophy in 2001 and 2002.
On October 22, 2007, many victims found shelter in the school gym, after they evacuated from the Witch Creek Fire and several other fires threatening San Diego at the time. The fire burned over.
