Impact Report: Year-Ends 2021 and 2022

Sasha Vlassova

Middle College High School Program at Cañada College

For some students, an alternative program is the path to success in high school and in college. Middle College at Cañada College can be that opportunity. The program is an innovative and exciting bridge for students to finish high school while gaining up to a year and a half of college credit.

Middle College began at Cañada College in 1999, one year after it was established at College of San Mateo. The Sequoia Union High School District was and continues to be Cañada College’s partner in this venture. Twenty-three years ago, SUHSD had very few options for alternative education and limited options for underserved students who needed a helping hand accessing and succeeding in college.

The program was originally conceived to help under-resourced students make the transition to a college environment. First-generation students, students who needed a small school within a school environment, economically underresourced students, and students who were not in honors classes but had the potential to do well in college were targeted for success through the Middle College program. This effort between Cañada College and SUHSD has become a welcome solution for hundreds of students who might otherwise not have furthered their education after high school.

Typically, 55 high school juniors start the Middle College program each year, joining 55 seniors who are continuing. Students take three high school classes each day, including a college readiness class that supports the transition, and two to four college classes per semester with other Cañada College students per semester. After two years students typically earn 45 units (or 1.5 years) of transferable credit as well as invaluable connections with the Middle College and greater Cañada College communities. The program boasts a high success rate: 40% of Middle College graduates go on to four-year institutions and 60% stay in community college before transferring to a University of California or California State University.

“Middle College allowed me to accelerate in ways I didn’t think I would. It gave me an individual kind of voice.” – Sasha Vlassova, class of 2015, transferred to the University of Arizona

The Middle College Scholarship Fund funds textbooks and any necessary fees that students have during the summer (the program covers the spring and fall semesters). As many of the students are from underserved and underresourced backgrounds, they also rely on other Foundation scholarships to help them transfer or remain at Cañada College at the end of the program.

“So many students can benefit from taking college classes while in high school,” says Jen Petroelje, the Middle College instructor who helped start the program at Cañada College. “Some students need a bridge to college so they understand the environment and the process. Other students just didn’t feel comfortable in the HS setting and they see Middle College as a welcoming alternative. Many of these students are here because of financial reasons, having a scholarship to help them on their path can make all the difference.”