It was founded in 1981 in honor of the Swedish architect, businessman, diplomat, and humanitarian Raoul Wallenberg.

[2] In recognition of its namesake, the school's motto is "The individual can make a difference"[3] and all students are required to complete at least 100 hours of community service before graduating.

[4] The campus originally opened on September 3, 1952, as Anza Elementary School.

[5] For the 2020-2021 school year, total minority enrollment was 83%, with 47% of the student body coming from an economically disadvantaged household.

[3] In the 2022 U.S. News & World Report rankings, 55% of Wallenberg students were considered proficient in mathematics (compared to 32% in the district and 30% in the state), 66% were proficient in reading (compared to 49% in the district and 60% in the state), and 45% were proficient in science (compared to 25% in the district and 30% in the state).