Rio Americano High School, colloquially known as Rio, is a public high school in Arden-Arcade, California, just outside Sacramento, serving students in grades 9 through 12 as part of the San Juan Unified School District. Rio Americano students come from the surrounding areas of Arden Park, Arden Oaks, Sierra Oaks, Fair Oaks, Carmichael, Gold River, and to a much lesser extent, the La Sierra community. In recent years, more students have been transferring from other districts and areas, partly due to the shift of Sacramento High School to a charter school. Rio's two rival schools are Jesuit High School and El Camino Fundamental High School because of the schools' close proximity.
As of the 2022–23 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,884 students. Cliff Kelly is the principal.
Awards and recognition
During the 1994–96 and 2006–07 school years, Rio Americano High School was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education,Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF), United States Department of Education. Accessed May 11, 2006.Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 2003 to 2006 (PDF), United States Department of Education. Accessed May 11, 2006. the highest award an American school can receive.CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department , Journal Inquirer, November 16, 2006. "The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve."Viers Mill School Wins Blue Ribbon; School Scored High on Statewide Test; The Washington Post. September 29, 2005 "For their accomplishments, all three schools this month earned the status of Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor the U.S. Education Department can bestow upon a school."
In 2008 Newsweek ranked Rio as number 595 on their list of the top 1,300 public schools in the United States.America's Top Public High Schools | Newsweek Best High Schools | Newsweek.com
In 2013, Rio Americano held an Academic Performance Index (API) of 823.
Rio Americano produces a handful of National Merit commended students and a few National Merit semifinalists each year. Rio students also perform well on Advanced Placement (AP) exams, with over 400 AP exam scores of 3 or better and over 100 AP exam scores of 5 (the highest score possible) in 2009.http://www.sanjuan.edu/files/filesystem/Rio%20-%20AP%20Regional%20Results.pdf
Demographics
DemographicsWhiteAsianMiddle EasternAfrican AmericanHispanicAmerican IndianFilipinoPacific IslanderPercentage50%12%24%2%9%<1.0%<1.5%<0.5%
Extracurricular activities
Science Bowl
Science Bowl is an academic competition sponsored by the United States Department of Energy that tests students in various categories of Science including Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Space Science, Earth Science, Energy, and Mathematics. Rio won the Sacramento Regional Competition in 1992 and competed in the national tournament in Washington, DC.
Notable alumni Barbi Benton (1968) - Former Playboy Playmate and girlfriend of Hugh HefnerBarbi Benton Fansite - Pictures, Biography, Photos and Wallpapers John Bowker (2001) - outfielder for the Pittsburgh PiratesJohn Bowker: Biography and Career Highlights pirates.com: Players John Daversa - jazz trumpet player and three-time Grammy Award Winner in 2019. Channing Dungey (1986) - American television executive and producer, First African-American to serve as president of ABC Entertainment Group.1986 Rio Americano High School (Sacramento, California) YearbookThe Sacramento Bee - She was a Rio Americano cheerleader in the 1980s. On Tuesday, she canceled 'Roseanne' - May 29, 2018 Merrin Dungey (1989) - actressMerrin Dungey - IMDb Patty Fendick (1983) - professional tennis player Mike Flanagan (1991) - former center for the Houston Texans"Center Mike Flanagan When he isn't injured, he's among the best at his trade", Sacramento Bee, August 21, 2005. Accessed October 21, 2007. "Sidelined with a knee injury and going stir crazy in his Green Bay living quarters, the Packers' Pro Bowl center and Rio Americano High School product let the cable guy in one dreary day to do some repairs." and the Green Bay Packers Selected to the Pro Bowl. John Ferris (1967) - Winner of two bronze medals in swimming for the U. S. team at the 1968 Summer Olympics."Obituary, Ferris, John", The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, California, 27 September 2020, pg. C9 Ted Gaines - California State Senator, former state assemblyman Taylor Graham (1998) - professional soccer player. Alex Heartman (2008) - Actor most notably as the Red Ranger in Power Rangers Samurai Jason Kamras (1991) - National Teacher of the Year, 2005 Jonathan Karsh (1990) - independent film and television producerJonathan Karsh - Biography Goodwin Liu (1987) - Supreme Court of California Associate Justice and former UC Berkeley Law Professor Linsey Marr (1992) - Environmental Engineering professor at Virginia Tech whose expertise on aerosols and virus transmission made her a frequently cited authority who appeared in major media news programs and columns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recipient of the MacArthur Foundation Fellows Program "Genius" Grant in 2023. Trevor Matich (1979) - 12-year NFL lineman."His name is linked with 49ers' deal for Rice", Sacramento Bee, December 12, 2004. Accessed November 1, 2007. "Trevor Matich is an inspiration to any child who wants to compete in sports but is often told he or she isn't good enough.... Yet he persevered, became a highly recruited high school player at Rio Americano and went on to BYU..." Debbie Meyer (1970) - three-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer at the 1968 Summer Olympics."AHEAD OF HER TIME DEBBIE MEYER DIDN'T CASH IN ON OLYMPIC SUCCESS, BUT SHE'S A HALL OF FAMER", The Sacramento Bee, September 20. 1987. Accessed November 29, 2007. "The swimmer was Debbie Meyer, then a 16-year-old Rio Americano High School student." Amobi Okugo (2009) - Major League Soccer player Christine O'Moore (1997) - artist, musician, former Orthodox priest and trans woman best known for her humanitarian work and social activism. She was formerly known as Christoforos Schuff.Grimstad Adressetidende, 11 June 2020 p. 16 Doug Ose (1973) - Former Congressman who represented from 1998 to 2004.Doug Ose - Votes Database , The Washington Post. Retrieved October 30, 2007. Chad Overhauser (1993) - Played offensive line for the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans. Susan Pedersen (1971) - four-time Olympic medalist at the 1968 Summer Olympics Johnny Rabb (1990) - Professional Touring Drummer. Also plays in a duo named BioDiesel. Has been the drummer for Collective Soul since 2012. Charles M. Rice (1970) - virologist, winner of Nobel Prize Alexia Roditis (2016) - musician, lead vocalist of the band Destroy Boys Christopher F. Rufo (2002) - writer, political commentator, & activist Jane Sibbett (1980) - actress best known for playing Carol Willick on FriendsRio Americano High School - Sacramento, CA Notable AlumniRio Americano HS class of 1980 David Sirlin - video game designer, fighting games player, and writer Mark Suster - Venture Capitalist... Adrian Tomine (1992)- Cartoonist Drake U'u (2008)- Professional basketball player W. Craig Vanderwagen, MD (1967) Former Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, US Department of Health and Human Services Sasha Victorine (1996) - midfielder for Chivas USA of Major League SoccerMajor League Soccer James Leighman Williams (2003) - Olympic Silver Medalist - Fencing
References
External links Official website Rio Americano Band Website The Mirada (Rio Americano's newspaper)