Schools

Upperclassmen English students at Christopher High School have a lighter burden to shoulder these days. Literally.

Kim Shields has returned to St. Mary School in Gilroy as principal in August after leading St. Justin School as principal for six years.

The Gilroy Unified School District posted results for the 2012 Standardized Testing and Reporting program today, revealing estimated gains for most secondary schools, mixed results for the elementary level and overall district API growth from 800 to 805.

Teachers at Gilroy's 1-year-old charter school are “thrilled,” “proud” and “validated” after learning their second-grade students received the highest projected Academic Performance Index score for an elementary school in the history of the Gilroy Unified School District.

With the average college graduate buried beneath $25,000 in student loans in an economy darkened by rampant unemployment, pricey tuition rates elicit cynical farce from humor writers like Jarod Kintz, who scoffed, “I wouldn’t advise making a four-year commitment to eventually land an $8 an hour job.”

On a brisk Tuesday morning, more than 1,400 students flooded the newly revamped campus on their first day back to Gilroy High School, which boasts $5 million in upgrades that construction crews scrambled to complete in a matter of 10 weeks.

St. Mary School kicked off the 2012-13 school year on Thursday, Aug. 16 with 287 students in attendance.

California High School Exit exam scores took a dip this year at three Gilroy high schools, while the fourth – the Dr. TJ Owens Early College Academy known as GECA – racked up some of the highest marks in the state with 100 percent passing rates in English language arts and math.

Parents who attempt to skirt the Gilroy Unified School District's residency requirements – which dictate what high school a student must attend – should keep in mind: Administrators are cracking down against dishonesty.