Paso Robles High School is the only comprehensive high school located in the city of Paso Robles, California. The school receives its students from George H. Flamson Middle School and Daniel E. Lewis Middle School, both located in Paso Robles, as well as from the Lillian Larsen School, a public K-8 school in San Miguel, California and Pleasant Valley Elementary School, a public K-8 school located in an outlying area of northeastern San Luis Obispo County. Additionally, the school receives students from private K-8 schools such as Trinity Lutheran School and St. Rose Catholic School, both located in Paso Robles. And some from Santa Lucia School located in Templeton, California The school boasts strong vocational, agricultural, and college preparatory programs, as well as a limited number of honors and AP courses in the fields of history/social science, English language/literature, mathematics and science. Foreign languages offered include Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. The school has also maintained the largest SkillsUSA organization in California for several years, and it is an AVID National Demonstration School. The first high school in San Luis Obispo County, Paso Robles High School was built in 1892 and graduated its first senior class in 1896. Constructed with locally made bricks, the stately three-story structure was located at 17th Street and Vine Street, where the Marie Bauer Elementary sits now. A decade upon opening, the high school and upper-level auditorium would languish in the aftermath of the San Francisco Earthquake in 1906. A new location was built at 24th and Spring Street, and the faulted building was later razed in 1939. In the 1960s, the 24th Street campus was refurbished, with subsequent additions to what later became Flamson Middle School. By 1980, the third PRHS campus was built on Niblick Road, where it stands today. However, football games continue at War Memorial Stadium on the Flamson Middle School campus to a faithful attendance of PRHS boosters. Most other competitive sporting events are held on the PRHS campus. Although the school's athletic facilities are somewhat limited, the campus plays host to an extensive agricultural education facility. The school's mascot is the bearcat.
Crimson is the award-winning student news magazine of Paso Robles High School. Crimson is the current form of the monthly tabloid newspaper founded in the 1940s named The Crimson Chronicle and originally The Bearcat. Crimson staff members attend national and local journalism conventions and have won recognition in national and statewide competitions for writing, photography, and design. The publication and website are currently advised by Jeff Mount. Many graduates from the program have gone on to careers in journalism, law, communications, and/or design.
