The San Fernando High School, the given name of La Union High School when it opened its doors on January 19, 1903 to fifty-five students, was the first secondary school established in La Union during the administration of Senor Joaquin Ortega, the first civil governor of the province. Classes then were held in buildings made of stones.
The creation of a new province in northwestern Luzon was conceived by Spain's most dynamic colonial chief Governor General Narciso Claveria y Zaldua -- on October 29, 1849 to address the exigencies of colonial policies, geographic considerations, religious factors and economic enterprise.