The Beverly Hills High School
When you hear the name "Beverly Hills High School", probably the first thing that pops in your head is a scene of the 1990's hit TV show "Beverly Hills ". Although the producers of the television drama originally intended to use the actual school as the filming set, the school board declined this request. The producers were forced to choose another alternative, and eventually picked Torrance High School, in Torrance, California, to shoot the series. Nonetheless, the fictional "West Beverly Hills High" from the show is a direct reference to the real school and will always be associated to it.
Beverly Hills High (or just "Beverly", as it's also called) is the only public high school in Beverly Hills. The school has been used many times as a filming location on films and TV shows, including the movies "Clueless", "It's a wonderful life", "The Beverly Hillbillies", and "Whatever it takes". These films would often feature the school's unique basketball court that splits open to reveal its underneath swimming pool. This Beverly Hills school is also known for its famous alumni, which include Nicholas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Lenny Kravitz, Monica Lewinsky, David Schwimmer, and Tori Spelling, among many others.
Given its location and artistic tradition, it comes as no surprise that the school's Performing Arts Department is nationally renown for the quality of its musical and theatrical productions and its notable alumni. The department is particularly famous for its Theater Acting Workshop, and also for its annual musical festival often based on Broadway award-winning musicals.
An interesting and little known aspect of the school is that its campus holds a cluster of 19 oil wells, owned by the Venoco Oil Company. These wells pump on average approximately 500 barrels a day, earning the Beverly Hills High School about $300,000 a year.