Middle College High School

San Pablo
Public School
operated by West Contra Costa County Unified School District
Language(s):
English
Grades:
9-12
Phone:
(510) 215-3881
Address:
2600 Mission Bell Drive, Contra College College San Pablo, CA 94806
Affiliation:
College/University-run

Middle College students earn a high school diploma while working towards the completion of an Associate Degree or 60 transferable credits in four to five years. 

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Archived Q&A and Reviews


June 2016

Dear Fellow ''Parents of Teens'',
A close friend of mine is terribly worried about the future of her grandson. A product of Kensington Elementary and Korematsu Middle School, he would normally be attending El Cerrito High School next year, but his parents have decided to put him in a school that neither of us had heard of before: the ''Middle College'' in San Pablo. http://www.wccusd.net/middlecollege My friend feels that it is not advisable for her grandson to attend this school. Although she knows very little about it, it is clear that it would not provide him a typical high school experience or education. In addition, I just learned from another friend that her best friend's daughter attended the school, but eventually dropped out, because the demands were simply too rigorous. I've searched through the BPN archives, and found only one posting about this school, and that only from a parent whose child's application was denied. So, if your son or daughter has attended this school, I would love to hear your opinion of it!
Thanks very much in advance.

A few years ago, my daughter was accepted at middle college but we ultimately decided not to send her there. Middle college is not your typical high school. It is for kids that are academically advanced. They complete their high school requirements while simultaneously taking college courses and end up graduating with an AA degree. Parents don't get to pick the school. Middle college has an application process and only high performing kids get accepted. I ultimately chose to send my daughter to a private high school. Mom


Is there a particular reason your friend does not trust her own child's assessment of her or his child's needs? Does it seem like the parents can't do their job or don't understand what parenting is? I'm having a hard time understanding why you are involved, and why your friend finds it necessary to sneak around trying to get information to undermine this kid's parents. In fact, it seems to me like your friend may have been left out of the decision-making process precisely because of this kind of behavior. The ''typical high school experience'' is not always advisable. Not every kid wants to be thrown into a giant high school with all its social demands, sexual pressure and sporty sports crap. It was an absolute nightmare for many, maybe including your friend's child. From a brief look at that school's site, it seems like a great place for a gifted child who's academically precocious and doesn't want to deal with being teased or bullied for loving to study. My suggestion is to encourage your friend to stay out of the process rather than enabling this behavior.
 


Jan 2013

My daughter is a junior in (private) high school now, and she's interested in the possibility of doing a ''middle college'' program next year -- taking all of her classes at a community college but receiving credit to graduate from high school. The only information I've found thus far as to the Peralta Colleges (in Alameda County, where we live -- she'd be Oakland school district if she were in public school) is about high school seniors enrolling in community college classes, while they remain enrolled in (and taking courses at) their high schools. Which is another possibility, but ... is there some kind of middle college program available to Oakland kids?


Hi, sorry I don't know about Oakland, hopefully others will; but the highly rated charter Middle College HS in Contra Costa College could be worth looking at, especially if your child has any diversity in their background. They expressly say they are focused on admitting underserved populations and that very very few ''white'' kids will be admitted. My ''white'' daughter did not get in and her minority friend did, they had the same GPA, recommendations, and were both in the top 3 of their graduating middle school class. The program may be what you are looking for, they take all their classes there, get community college credit, and the high school really wants their high school kids to blend in with the college kids as if they are not really in a high school. Chris