Carmel High School is a school of 874 students and 50-plus faculty members, situated directly off of Highway 1 within the city of Carmel, California. Carmel High is known for its view of the Santa Lucia Mountains with a peek of Point Lobos and the Pacific Ocean. It is in one of the most affluent school districts in California, due to a state law which allows the school to opt out of ADA (average daily attendance) funding, choosing instead to receive revenue from local property taxes, which in Carmel's case, are quite high. As a result, Carmel High School salary schedules for teachers, counselors, and administrators are among some of the highest in the state of California. Carmel Unified School District is the second largest geographical district in the state of California enrolling students up to south of Carmel and east. Cities represented by Carmel High School students include Carmel, Big Sur, Pebble Beach, and Carmel Valley. Built in 1940, the school has recently made significant capital improvements including a new performing arts theater, math wing, science wing, and library with plans to renovate the current administration building. Both the theater and science wing utilized "green" construction practices, such as energy efficient lights and appliances. History On August 4, 1939, the Hatton Ranch was purchased for $31,000, by the Carmel Board of Trustees, for the proposed Carmel high school. By November, plans for the new high school were drawn up by Ernest J. Kump Jr. The school opened on September 6, 1940. In 1947, four local residents donated their own parcels of land for what would later become the ballfield to the added Carmel High School property. The legal deed indicates Mary Flanders Hudson, husband William, and Helen and Charles Fuller transferred the property for a $10.00, ten dollar, sale price. Academics Carmel High School operates on a two-semester, modified-block system with 50-minute class periods three days per week and 90-minute periods two days per week. Students at Carmel High have access to a rigorous curriculum including these 19 Advanced Placement courses. Carmel High School uses an "open-access" policy, allowing students to enroll in advanced curriculum with no obstacle apart from earning a C or higher in articulating subjects the prior year. As a result, Carmel High has strong participation in the AP Program with 423 students (50% of total students) completing a total of 928 AP exams in 2017