77% of Milpitas Graduates Will Attend College in Fall of 2013

Seventy-Seven Per Cent of Graduates will Attend College in Fall of 2013 The month of June will begin with thousands of families celebrating the achievements of their children in Milpitas Unified School District. On Saturday, June 8, 2013, we will celebrate the promotion of 760 6th graders to middle school, the promotion of 740 8th graders to high school, and the graduation of 816 seniors from Cal Hills and Milpitas High Schools. While attending the senior awards ceremony at Milpitas High School, I was inspired by all the stories of success, hope, and bright futures. Among the 734 seniors at Milpitas High, 272 of our graduates will attend a 4-year university next fall. One hundred seniors are headed to the University of California and 136 will attend a California State University. Including our 293 students who will attend a community college, 77% of our graduates will be attending college in the fall of 2013! Educating our children is a team effort and the eight hundred employees of Milpitas Unified celebrate with our families as we watch our seniors reach this milestone. 

It was nearly one year ago that the Milpitas community passed Measure E in support of our students. We are pleased to share that we have six major projects under construction in the summer of 2013. We have broken ground on a new multi-purpose building at Pomeroy and construction has begun. Five of our schools will undergo significant modernization this summer: Rancho, Burnett, Randall, Spangler, and Weller. The projected budget of the summer work is $15 Million and overall, the bids have come in under budget. We made a commitment to our community to put these resources into use as soon as possible, and we are saving money by moving fast. When we reopen school on August 19th, five of our campuses will be modernized and new 21st Century learning centers will be created for our students and staff. 

Milpitas Unified schools continue to collect awards and recognition. In the recent San Jose Mercury News article about middle schools, Rancho and Russell Middle Schools defy the trend and outperform many of their counterparts in other districts. The similar schools ranking compares schools of similar diversity and socioeconomic status. Russell Middle School scored a 9-10 and Rancho a 9-9. The second digit means that Russell ranks in the top 10% of their similar schools group and Rancho in the top 20% of their similar schools group. On a related note, three of our district schools were recently recognized as California Distinguished Schools – Milpitas High, Rancho Middle School, and Burnett Elementary. The rise of Milpitas Unified continues! 

Over the summer of 2013, we will be working hard on many fronts. Facilities will be upgraded, our technology continues to improve, teachers will be working on instructional design, and plans for implementation of the Common Core State Standards are in motion. We appreciate the support and partnership of the community, and we look forward to the continuing success of our students and schools. 

Cary Matsuoka 
Superintendent