Pondersa High School is founded in 1963, Ponderosa High School is located on 38 acres in a semi-rural setting.
The oak tree-lined campus is one of 5 high schools in the rapidly growing El Dorado Union High School District. Enrollment for grades 9-12 is projected at 1,990 students for the 2006-07 school year.
Ponderosa recently earned the maximum 6-year accreditation as a result of the 2000-01 review by Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Approximately one-half of the District's Regional Occupational Programs (ROP) are located on Ponderosa's campus. Ponderosa also houses the Agriculture Program for the District's comprehensive high schools. In 2001, Ponderosa was also named a California Distinguished High School, and has exceeded the state API score of 800 required of all California schools.
Ponderosa has maintained first-place for 14 consecutive years in the countywide Academic Decathlon.