Oakland school celebrates 15 years of 100% college acceptance
OAKLAND, Calif. - A school in Oakland is celebrating a huge accomplishment.
For the 15th year in a row, the senior class at AIMS Charter School has achieved a 100% college acceptance rate.
The class of 2024 started high school during the pandemic and was forced to learn online.
Seniors from AIMS K-12 College Prep Charter District graduated on Thursday and began the next part of their journey.
All 84 seniors are heading to college. Natalie Glass, the director of schools for AIMS, shared how the school maintains this rate.
"We get our students thinking about college very young, from kindergarten on," Glass said.
Glass added that the school is decorated with college paraphernalia and provides early intervention and guidance.
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Students here will tell you that being at the College of Adaptive Arts in Saratoga is about belonging. The college was founded by two women who 15 years ago saw a need and decided to fill it.
Superintendent Maya Woods-Cadiz said the school sets students up for success.
"We pay for college enrollment. We provide counseling," she said.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced this class online for virtual learning throughout their freshman year of high school, but they were a determined bunch.
"It was really hard navigating that this is learning. Zoom lessons were definitely a challenge, with of all the technical difficulties, but I’m glad that we all persevered cause we’re here today," said Huiy Heyu, the valedictorian, who is set to attend Stanford.
"Freshman year was pretty tough," said another graduate, Sokun Rakasar Chun. "I’m glad we came back sophomore year, and we came back pretty strong."
"We were striving to make sure our students didn’t skip a beat," said Glass.
Family members and faculty shared their pride, cheering on their loved ones as they crossed the stage.
Administrators said the school has received awards for helping Black and Latinx students achieve educational goals.
The school’s motto is "breaking the cycles of poverty in Oakland" through education.
With most of these students heading to universities within California, the future is bright for the class of 2024.