Montgomery High School was named after Bill Montgomery. Montgomery is considered the first person from the city of Santa Rosa to have died in World War II. William "Billy" Montgomery was killed at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, while serving aboard the battleship USS California.
Montgomery participates in the International Baccalaureate Organization as an IB World School, providing the IB Diploma Programme as well as the full complement of classes available to juniors and seniors. Montgomery High School has been an IB World School since July 1995.[2]
On March 1, 2023, a 16-year-old student was stabbed to death by another student on the school’s campus.
^CIBA cited as one of the best by Education DepartmentArchived August 19, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Journal Inquirer, November 16, 2006. "The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve."
^Interview with Melba Patillo BealsArchived October 1, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Scholastic Press, January 31, 1998. Accessed September 4, 2007. "I went to Santa Rosa, CA, taken in by Dr. and Mrs. George McCabe, who I still call mom and dad today.... I finished high school in California. Montgomery High School — an integrated school."
^"ARRESTS REVIVE GRIM AND SURREAL MEMORIES OF TIME WORTH FORGETTING", The Press Democrat, January 18, 2002.