A product of the Southern California post war boom, Fontana High (referred to locally as "FoHi") was completed in September 1952. The school was needed to serve the children of thousands of blue collar families from across the country who came to work at the Kaiser Steel plant – built just outside Fontana in the 1940s – and at the time the only steel production plant of its kind west of the Mississippi.[3]
2006 riot
In 2006, a fight between two students erupted into a riot of over 500 students at a school pep rally. Police fired bean bags and rubber pellets to scatter the crowd of students.[4] The Fontana Police Department required assistance from other local law enforcement agencies (including the California Highway Patrol) after students threw rocks at responding officers, but the situation was ultimately resolved in under two hours.[5] Six students were placed under arrest and thirty-four other students were suspended by the school district.[6] There was no significant property damage or injuries, though a teacher was accidentally struck by a police bean bag round.[5]
The high school used to be part of the Chaffey Joint Union High School District prior to 1955[7]
Demographics
Ethnic breakdown of the 4,073 students enrolled as of the 2007–2008 school year was:[8]
85.8% Hispanic
6.9% White
4.8% African American
1% Asian
0.4% Other
Football
Under coach Dick Bruich, the 1987 team was ranked the best in the nation.[9] The Steeler football team was almost as well known for the traveling "rowdy" fanbase, which followed the team en masse throughout the season and into the playoffs. At home games, much of the town shut down as more than 8,000[10] maroon and white clad fans filled Steeler Stadium for matches with rival schools like Redlands, Pacific Eisenhower[11] and Colton.
By the 1990s, the glory days for the team had faded. An economic downturn (the Kaiser Steel plant had shut down in 1983[12]) and a continued population boom led to demographic shifts and classroom overcrowding. The addition of new high schools split the talent base and the team had a prolonged string of losing seasons.[13]
