Welcome back to On The Set.  Have I got a bevy of facts and figures for you today!  I was driving past a local high school recently and low and behold, one of my favorite things in the world was hanging on a telephone poll outside!  The yellow locations sign!  This one had a nice arrow pointing to the right and in big bold black letters, the word “GLEE.”  When cruising around Hollywood, keep an eye out for these and take a picture and send it to me.  Seriously, I have a collection.

So there I was, in my car and confronted with the reality that Rodriguez Cabrillo High School next to me was currently home to the filming company of Fox’s musical hit, Glee.  I was also in Long Beach, which meant I wanted to keep driving.  No offense LB.  Education has been an important character in more film and television productions than I could possibly list here.  We’ve all done it, we all know it, and when we see the awkward social interactions of teenagers, there is an immediate emotional connection to us and the 28 year old actors pretending they’re bummed about their Algebra final especially when they still have no date to the prom.  It’s relatable, or something.

One of my favorite teen angst dramas was My So-Called Life.  Angela and company attended Liberty High School in the show which was actually University High School in West Los Angeles.  “Uni” as it’s known, is a bit of a super high school in the entertainment world.  Appearing in over a dozen feature films like 1999′s Jawbreaker, UHS has played a major role in such TV shows as Joan of Arcadia, 7th Heaven, Even Stevens, and Arrested Development.  But if you really want to see a time capsule of the school, check out Shout! Factory’s DVDs of the classic Room 222.  Maybe you’ll spot a young Mark Hamill!

Arguably the most famous of the “actor high schools” is Torrance High conveniently located in Torrance, CA.   Numerous film crews have invaded the home of the Tartars (they must love fish and chips?) including She’s All That, Not Another Teen Movie, Wild Things 3, and the classic Less Than Zero, but TV has no doubt provided THS with all the necessary funding for its music department over the years.  Buffy the Vampire Slayer walked the courtyard at Torrance until later days when Cal State Northridge stepped in as both Sunnydale and Dawn’s college campus.  Currently Medium represents the school on TV, but it is one of the most famous casts of high school students ever that elevates Torrance into the boob tube hall of fame.  I am talking, of course, about Beverly Hill 90210.  Yeah yeah, that new 90210 films there too, but who cares when you can walk down the same West Beverly High stair case where Brandon so deftly avoided Andrea’s awkward advances!  I don’t even know how the students there get any work done.

What about all you High School Musical fans?  I know you want to walk in the footsteps of your favorite Wildcats, but it might be a bigger task than you first thought.  First of all, you’re gonna want to cancel those tickets to New Mexico and head north to Salt Lake City where East High School served as the primary back drop for Disney’s mega franchise.  Don’t stop though, book it over to nearby Murray High School to relive your favorite drama class moments in their auditorium.  When you’re all done, a walking tour of Salt Lake City will no doubt give your inner fanatic plenty of picture opportunities.

Tired of California and the home of Veronica Mars, Oceanside High School?  Neither am I, but feel free to drive past UNC Wilmington if you want to see the Capeside High of Dawson’s Creek days.  The area also hosts One Tree Hill, so keep the camera ready.  Looking for exotic?  Well, nothing says mysterious like Canada!  Degrassi Jr.

High used Vincent Massey Public School in Etobicoke, Ontario, birthplace of Dave Foley.  Degrassi: The Next Generation opted for nearby Centennial College.  On the other side of the great white north you can swing by New Westminster Secondary and pay homage to the television legacy of Johnny Depp and 21 Jump Street.

And yes, I hear your screeching young ladies.  If you want Gossip Girl, just walk around Manhattan.

There is plenty more where all this came from, as well as shipping containers full of high schools built on sound stages.  Look up your favorite show and you just might be surprised to see where they called home room.  One last tip though, if you swing by, don’t do it during school hours.  Those underpaid yard narcs can get cranky!