Ceres High School

Ceres High School is located in the city of Ceres, which is located in the central San Joaquin Valley, 80 miles south of Sacramento and 95 miles east of San Francisco, in the heart of Stanislaus County. Once an agriculturally based community, now most jobs are in manufacturing, retail trade, and social services. An increasing number of residents commute to jobs in the Greater Bay Area.

Ceres High is one of two traditional high school in the district. Built in 1908, it is fed by three junior high schools and seven elementary schools. The ethnic trend of increased numbers of Hispanic students continues, with 48.4% of students Hispanic, 35% White, 2.4% African-American, 2.7% American Indian, 7.8% Asian-American, .6% Pacific Islander, and 1.0% Filipino-American. The number of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch continues to climb to 47% - a 4% increase. The number of English Language learners increased significantly over the past three years.

More recently Ceres High School began modernization in the summer of 2005. Some portable classrooms are removed and two gyms are remodelled. Renovation of the student cafeteria into a student center has been completed. Although the remodelling caused disruption in classroom instruction and students being displaced, the students, faculty, and staff have responded positively by remaining flexible and focused on quality education. The second phase of modernization will include remodelling the main office and library. The final phase of modernization will include the construction of a new performing arts building that will be used for school and community events.

Ceres High School had a decline in enrolment from last year to this year from 2387 to 1728 due to the opening of the second high school. Based on the last three years of data, the number of students enrolled in AP classes has slightly declined; whereas, enrolment in the honors classes has been steady the last two years. There has been a decline in the AVID program due to the previous administration deleting the program from the master schedule. While there has been a slight increase in the number of students enrolled in special education, there has been a significant increase in the number of English Learner students over the last three years. Ceres High School is a Title I school and has met its AYP for the last two years. CHS has not been placed under Program Improvement. For the last three years, CHS has met their API target.

Ceres High School has just graduated what can be debated as the best class to come out of Ceres High which was the class of 2007. The class of 2007 had over 25% of their graduating class going straight to a four year university.

A majority of Ceres High students are involved in athletics, clubs, organizations, or other student activities. Although the student mobility rate has been significant in the last year, ADA for the last three years is maintained at about 92%. Additionally, the CHS graduation rate has been at or above 89% for the same time period, with over 60% of graduates attending a community college. The number of students passing the CAHSEE has increased each year.

There are less than 1% of the CHS teachers who teach outside of their credentialed area. A majority of the teachers are CLAD certified and a majority are in compliance with Leave No Child Behind.

Notable alumni and faculty

• Tom Berryhill (class of 1971): California State Assemblymember (2006–2010) and Senator (2010–present)
• Anthony Cannella (class of 1987): Mayor of Ceres (2005–2010); California State Senator (2010–present)^[1]
• Dick Davey (class of 1960): College basketball coach at Santa Clara (1992–2007) and associate head coach at Stanford (2008–2012)
• Steve Gonzalez: American football player
• Wayne Hardin (class of 1945): College Football Hall of Famer, former football and basketball coach at Ceres High
• Angel Rubio (class of 1993): Football player

Coordinates: 37°35′45″N 120°57′21″W / 37.59583°N 120.95583°W / 37.59583; -120.95583^[2]

References