The producers didn't know the show was going to get cancelled. In fact, they claim that the WB executives told them to do cliffhangers, and they did, keeping in mind that they wouldn't be cancelled and had several storylines planned for a third season.
According to Leslie Bibb in an audio commentary, because the character of Mary Cherry was consistently so energetic and over-the-top, actress Leslie Grossman had a deal where she would take every fourth working week off to rest.
In the show, the main girl's bathroom is called "The Novak" which holds all the pictures of the homecoming queens. The name is inspired by when movie stars would donate money to schools (often an alma mater). The writers found out that 'Kim Novak' actually did donate money to a school in the Santa Monica area (where the school/show is set), so they named this room after her.
Carly Pope auditioned for the role of Brooke McQueen before being cast in the role she eventually got, Brooke's sister Sam (the show's other lead role).
Actress Leslie Grossman, who played Mary Cherry, valued comfort so much that she hated wearing her character's high-heeled shoes and whenever Mary Cherry's feet were excluded from the shots, she would either be barefoot or wearing her tennis shoes.