Several areas, including the wealthy unincorporated Los Angeles County community of View Park-Windsor Hills are zoned to Crenshaw; some sections of View Park-Windsor Hills are jointly zoned to Crenshaw and Westchester High School.

Rousseau was formerly the principal at Santa Monica High School and the superintendent of a local district in LAUSD.

The school's football team played in the state championship bowl game on December 19, 2009, at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

Concord's De La Salle High School defeated Crenshaw's football team 28–14 to win the state title.

In 2017, Crenshaw returned to the state championship, hosting Placer High School and winning 46–43.

The team was coached for more than thirty years by Willie E. West Jr., who retired in 2007 and was succeeded by Ed Waters.

It also used its gym for the 2006 film Bring It On: All or Nothing starring Hayden Panettiere and Solange Knowles and Love and Basketball.

In 2001, the book And Still We Rise, written by Miles Corwin, chronicled the lives of twelve seniors in the Crenshaw High Gifted & Talented Magnet program in their quest to obtain an education—amidst formidable obstacles.