Pacific High School

History

Pacific Career & Technology High School began it's first chapter as a Grant District Continuation High School in 1981 in a former junior high school facility located at 3800 Bolivar Drive in North Highlands, California, a suburb of Sacramento.

Since first opening it's doors, PC&THS has evolved over 23 years into a CSEA Model School serving 240 students of very diverse ethnic backgrounds with 37% Caucasian, 4% Asian, 3% American Indian, 29% African American, 25% Hispanic, 1.3% Pacific Islander and 0.9% of the enrolled students stated that they were of multiple ethnic backgrounds or declined to state.

PC&THS has steadily, over the past several years, implemented a California State Standards based curriculum and assessment component across the curriculum and the staff continue to refine the process of implementation through weekly standards based staff development workshops. PC&THS staff further incorporate the California State Standards into their daily instruction with the assistance of the Expected Schoolwide Learning Results (ESLR's) a small but vital piece of their School Site Plan. The Site Plan serves as a road map to increased success and sustained performance over the long haul.

Students receive instruction that focuses on the expectation that all students must pass the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) and meet the established standards in order to graduate from high school.

The Pacific Career & Technology High School also meets with their School Site Council on a regular monthly basis to discuss the needs as well as goals and objectives of the school. This council brings together, for a common purpose, staff, students, parents, community and administration. This regular "meeting of the minds" has allowed PC&THS to develop and implement innovative programs such as the Student Orientation Program, New Century Education computer based curriculum, Smoking Cessation and Intervention Program, Anger Management, SB65 Outreach Consultant, and HP laptops for technology classes. It has additionally allowed yet another avenue for collaboration and cooperation among all stakeholders to pursue student academic and social success. These monthly meetings also promote trust among all stakeholders, which is one of the six design elements in the School Site Plan.

Trust among all stakeholders is a major component in establishing a path to student success, as the very nature of the student population Pacific Career & Technology High School service is such that trust is an attribute not easily attained or maintained. Ninety percent of the students transfer from one of the four comprehensive high schools within the district for reasons of habitual truancy, lack of necessary credits, discipline and behavioral issues, and family or parenting issues.