doesn’t get the attention of other public high schools in Novato, but it has some new credentials worth bragging about: top academic marks among all continuation schools in the state.
Educational Results Partnership, a company that charts public school performance, ranked the small school next to Novato High as No. 1 statewide in biology, science and U.S. history among comparable institutions, according to a release from the . Also, Marin Oaks came in No. 3 in English/language arts for grade 10.
Kessa Early, the top administrator at Marin Oaks, said the ratings are a confidence booster for the 66-student alterative education school on Arthur Street.
“We’re really proud of the staff and students that they take it all seriously,” she said. “There are expectations they all have in the classroom and they’ve risen to the challenges.”
Like other continuation high schools, Marin Oaks has a learning atmosphere that doesn’t really compare to or , Early said. The school has programs for kids who are credit deficient for various reasons and need a safe, flexible, welcoming environment for individualized instruction.
Of the students, Early said, “Traditional high schools didn’t work well for them for whatever reasons. (Marin Oaks) is small and there’s a real family atmosphere, and that’s what makes the difference for them. There are a lot of success stories.”
Marin Oaks is to be relocated next fall to the campus at , which is slated to become the Novato Unified School District’s alternative education center. Sixth- and seventh-graders currently at Hill and fifth-graders from nearby elementary schools are to be transferred to other middle schools in the city with the closure of Hill, a move announced by the board of trustees on Jan. 11.
