[3] The admissions process requires submitting scores from standardized testing from the previous school year and a writing supplement.

It took three years for Nevins to persuade the Board of Education, and a resolution was passed on July 10, 1856, to establish a San Francisco High School and Ladies' Seminary.

[citation needed] The Union Grammar School first opened on August 25, 1856, in rented quarters at the Wesleyan Methodist Church on Powell Street, between Clay and Sacramento.

The school's selection, by a committee formed by the San Francisco Board of Education, was due to James Russell Lowell's documented racist views.

Opponents have said that evidence for Lowell's anti-war beliefs and abolitionist views far outweigh the negatives, citing his lasting influence on Martin Luther King Jr. and within the NAACP.

[11][12] Lowell was the first SFUSD school to be temporarily closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in San Francisco due to a report of respiratory illness by a student's family member in March 2020.

In April 2022, Principal Joe Ryan Dominguez submitted his letter of resignation, which would go into effect at the end of the school year.

The original single-story visual and performing arts building is the westernmost extension of the main campus and remains with the 1,000-seat Carol Channing auditorium, named for the famous actress who was an alumna.

There is an ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corp) facility built into the hill and located below the theater, accessed by a stairway down from the arts wing.

Lowell has a graduation rate of nearly 100%, and it is the largest feeder school to the University of California system, particularly to the Berkeley and Davis campuses.

Critics characterized arena scheduling as an antiquated and inefficient system, and creates weeks of unnecessary work for teachers and counselors.

After a student forum, committee meetings, several student petitions, and final deliberation by then-principal Paul Cheng and the administration, it was decided that arena would remain in place, with the modifications of the abolishment of early scheduling for Shield and Scroll and "mini arena," which allowed people with incomplete schedules another chance to complete them by opening up all the classes again with a few slots.

[27][28] The Lowell admission process was competitive and based on a combination of standardized test scores, GPA, a writing sample, and extracurricular activities.

[30] In 1994, a group of Chinese-American community activists organized a lawsuit to challenge the 1983 Consent Decree race-based admissions policies used by SFUSD for its public schools.

[32] On October 20, 2020, the Board of Education voted unanimously to base 2021 freshman admittance to Lowell on a lottery rather than academic performance.

On March 8, 2021, Linnenbach filed a Cure and Correct letter challenging the Board of Education's adoption of lottery admissions.

The SFUSD did not rescind the vote, and the Friends of Lowell Foundation, Lowell Alumni Association, SF Taxpayers Association, and the Asian American Legal Foundation filed a complaint in the San Francisco Superior Court alleging that the SFUSD had violated the Ralph M. Brown Act when the Board of Education adopted lottery admissions.

[40] On June 22, despite SFUSD Superintendent Vincent Matthews recommending an extension of the lottery system, the Board opted to restore merit-based admissions for the 2023–24 school year in a 4–3 vote.

[41] After reverting to a merit-based system, the old admissions process using a bespoke entrance exam was considered outdated and was ruled incompatible with the California education codes.

[42] Starting in January 2025, the district decided to refer to a student's grade point average and standardized test scores.

[46] The Lowell Forensic Society, founded in 1892, is one of the oldest high school speech and debate teams in the nation and the largest student organization on campus, with over 200 members.

The team travels regularly to prestigious national invitationals, including Harvard, UC Berkeley, Stanford, CSU Long Beach, and the Tournament of Champions in Kentucky.

Forensics alumni include Yale University President Richard Levin, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, California Governor Edmund G. "Pat" Brown, actress Carol Channing, actor Benjamin Bratt, writer Naomi Wolf, actor Bill Bixby, PG&E CEO Frederick Mielke, author Daniel Handler of Series of Unfortunate Events fame and numerous academics, writers, and judges.

A photo of the Lowell Battalion's former rifle range, now converted into a classroom and indoor drill facility, was featured in the Army JROTC Cadet Reference Second Edition.

[54] The program offers leadership and team working opportunities through lessons[55] related to first aid, money management, problem solving, and map reading.

Lowell's Varsity Baseball team, led by coach John Donohue, won eight of ten championships from 1994 to 2004[57] while posting a regular season record of 185 wins and only 11 losses[58] during that span.

[60] The cross country team recently swept all three divisions at the city finals in Golden Gate Park, marking Lowell's 26th overall championship win in a row.

The rivalry between the Cardinals' and the Washington Eagles ended with Lowell coming on top with the varsity boys scoring 170-49 and the girls 122–62.

As of 2018[update], Lowell's Varsity Girls' Soccer has won the AAA Championship title for the past 21 years in a row.

The Lowell Varsity Cheer Squad placed 1st in stunts and received a runner up medal in dance in the 2009 AAA competition.