Otay Ranch High School (ORH), home of the Mustangs, is one of Sweetwater Union High School District’s newest high schools. It is located on a beautiful fifty-five acre campus, surrounded by residential homes, condominiums, apartments and new construction. The school is located in a suburban, middle to upper-middle class community approximately five miles north of the U.S./Mexico International Border. Otay Ranch draws its student population from several surrounding communities of Chula Vista with a variety of demographics and socioeconomic backgrounds. Rancho del Rey Middle School is the primary feeder school. Its population mirrors the Otay Ranch community with new homes and apartments having been built within the last ten years. ORH also receives students from Castle Park Middle School, which is a Title I school. Despite the fact that ORH is not a Title I school, 25.8% of our students are eligible for free and reduced lunch, and this figure has gone up in the last two years.
Otay Ranch High School opened in July 2003 with an enrollment of 1,140 students at the ninth and tenth-grade levels. There has been tremendous growth in the numbers of staff and students over the past few years. Currently, in this 8th year of existence, with an enrollment of approximately 2,750 students in grades nine through twelve, the teaching staff includes 114 teachers. Ninety-seven percent of the teachers are fully credentialed. Sixty-six percent of ORH teachers have a CCLAD or a BCLAD and 31% have been SDAIE trained for a total of 97% of ORH teachers having one or more of the above. There are five administrators, an attendance specialist, eight counselors, one library media specialist, one library technician, one psychologist, 29 instructional assistants, one computer technician, one nurse, 11 clerical staff, four campus assistants, and eleven custodians.
Consistent with demographics in Chula Vista, Otay Ranch has a diverse population. The ethnic distribution according to the Chancery enrollment system is approximately 58.7% Hispanic, 18.8% Filipino, 10.6% White, 5.4% African American, 1.9% Asian, .6% Pacific Islander, and .3% American Indian/Alaskan Native. The California Department of Education reported that there are 392 students who are classified as English Learners (EL), of which 105 are enrolled in ELD 1-8 classes.
The Otay Ranch program includes the following special populations: 525 GATE students, or 19% of the population, which is the highest percentage in the Sweetwater Union High School District; 141 Resource Specialist (RSP) students; 43 Mild Moderate (MM) students; 14 Moderate (MOD) students; 44 Moderate to Severe (MS) students; and 14 Emotionally Disturbed (ED) students.
Of special note at Otay Ranch is The Academy of Criminology and Justice Program (AOCJ). It is a four-year program in partnership with the Chula Vista Police Department. Students explore and are exposed to careers in the justice system through a rigorous University of California/California State University A-G curriculum. The program emphasizes high moral and ethical standards, while utilizing a variety of community resources, such as field trips, professional speakers, experts in the field, and technology. The AOCJ coordinators have established strong community bonds with an advisory board comprised of community experts to support the program, which currently has 221 students in the ninth through twelfth grades. Upon successful completion of the AOCJ course of study, students will receive a special seal on their high school diplomas.
Beginning in the 2009-10 academic year, Otay Ranch High School began a Dual Language program that promotes biliteracy, bilingualism and biculturalism. The program is based on a 50/50 model of instruction in which students are enrolled in classes taught entirely in Spanish. In the 9th grade, students are enrolled in Biology and Geography in Spanish while also taking a Spanish Language course. In the 10th grade, students take World History and Chemistry in Spanish in addition to AP Spanish Language. These courses are highly rigorous and require students to read and write extensively in Spanish. Successful completion of the Dual Language program guarantees students a Sweetwater District approved Biliteracy Certificate when they graduate High School. The Dual Language Program also has a Parent Committee and Student Organization that meet regularly to plan extra-curricular activities that promote biliteracy and multiculturalism.
Also of note is that Otay Ranch High School encourages all interested students to enroll in accelerated and Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Due to this philosophy, a greater number of students are exposed to college-level curricula. ORH has the highest number of students enrolled in AP courses in the district. Last year 618 students were enrolled in one or more AP courses and occupied 1,023 AP positions/slots Eight hundred eighty six (886) AP tests were administered in May of 2010. For the 2010-11 school year: 719 (2110 - 34%) 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students are enrolled in at least one AP class. Of the 10th graders, 25% are enrolled in AP classes, of the 11th graders, 34% are enrolled and of the 12th graders, 42% are enrolled. This year ORH offers Advanced Placement courses in 13 different subjects with a total of 40 sections. These sections are taught by College Board certified teachers in each subject area.
Participation in extra-curricular activities is encouraged at Otay Ranch. According to the student survey, 68% of the students at ORH participate in extra-curricular activities. The athletic program is comprised of 43 athletic teams. These teams have collectively produced 55 athletic championship banners in the school’s brief existence. In addition to athletics, there are 50 active clubs appealing to a variety of student interests.
ORH is a modified year-round school with classes beginning in mid-July and ending in early June. Students attend a full schedule of classes every Monday. When students are dismissed teachers collaborate in Professional Learning Communities for one hour every week. Classes on Tuesday through Friday follow a rotating block schedule with three classes per day. There is also an Extended Learning Period (ELP) scheduled Tuesday through Friday for 45 minutes during which teachers offer students a variety of resources to increase student achievement. KORTV televideo classes also broadcast the daily bulletin at this time. The school “banks minutes” on a daily basis to allow teachers to participate in weekly pro-hour meetings. These meetings address professional growth and planning, WASC need for improvements, department meetings and Professional Learning Communities (PLC). Students have a minimum day on these days.
After a comprehensive two-year WASC self-study, the WASC Accreditation Team visited ORHS in February of 2008. ORH received a six-year accreditation with a three-year review. Needless to say, we were delighted to have received this acclamation!
ORH continues to look forward to the many challenges and opportunities of this eighth year. The newest high school in our district opened in the 2006-2007 school year, less than one mile away, and in the same zip code as ORH. However, enrollment at ORH has not declined as was expected. The community is very supportive of ORH programs. As the school continues to mature, ORH will continue to build on these close ties with parents and the community and nurture those relationships in an effort to support the education of all Otay Ranch students.