On April 22, 1898, a successful election was held to establish a high school in Alhambra.
The election, which passed with a vote of 49 to 9, established the Alhambra High School District.
The second building program began in 1905 with the completion of the first of three Alhambra High Schools.
Previously all of San Gabriel was a part of the district, but the California Legislature in 1931 made it legal for a high school district to be created within 2.5 miles (4.0 km) of another one, allowing San Gabriel voters to authorize the creation of a new high school district the following November.
Circa 1985 the district proposed building a new high school in Rosemead.