For School Districts

"I was a first-generation college student and I wish that I had gone through College Summit. In eight years of counseling, I saw a lot of programs, but when College Summit came along, it aligned perfectly [with what I/the school was trying to do]."
-Rose Bomentre, Former Principal of Animo Leadership Charter High School in CA

"The College Summit workshop I attended in Berkeley was incredibly successful. Our students and advisors began the trip on Thursday with some skepticism and walked away on Sunday filled with hope and inspiration. This was the most powerful educational and professional growth experience I have yet encountered. As an administrator in charge of high school guidance I have attended dozens of university workshops, and I believe the College Summit experience has been the best. I learned a great deal about my own students and the overall admissions process. College Summit is a personal trainer for every college-going student it serves.”
-Gary Rose, Assistant Principal, San Jose Academy

2007-08 School and District Partners

Northern California

Oakland Unified School District

BEST High School
EXCEL High School
College Preparatory and Architecture Academy
Mandela High School
Media High School
Leadership Preparatory High School
Castlemont Business Information & Technology School
East Oakland School of the Arts
Oakland High School
Oakland Technical High School
Youth Empowerment School

Aspire Public Schools

Benjamin Holt College Preparatory Academy
Lionel Wilson College Preparatory Academy

Southern California

Los Angeles Unified School District

    Sylmar High School
    South Area New High School #1
    Huntington Park High School
    James Monroe High School

Locke Senior High School

School Spotlights

Locke High School

Locke High School is a large, urban school in the heart of south central Los Angeles, where the median household income is $26,449 and half of the population speaks Spanish as their primary home language. Less than six percent of adults in the surrounding community possess a college degree, and less than 50 percent of adults hold a high school diploma. The demographic profile of the school reflects the impact of immigrant families who have settled in south central Los Angeles during the last decade. Its student body is 63 percent Latino and 37 percent African American. Approximately 33 percent of Locke High School students are identified as English Language Learners.

The high school’s graduation rate is 44 percent, below the district-wide graduation rate reported by the Los Angeles Unified School District and consistent with recent findings by the Civil Rights Project of Harvard University of the significant statewide dropout rates of Latino and African American students in California. Standardized test scores are also below reported state averages, and in 2004 the school did not achieve “adequate yearly progress,” as defined by No Child Left Behind Act guidelines. Attendance rates have since increased by 15 percent, indicating that Locke High School is moving toward improving its graduation rate. Its student enrollment is approximately 3,400, and the counselor-to-student ratio is 1:329. School leaders have identified greater college enrollment as a central goal of the school’s mission.

College Summit first began working at Locke High School in the summer of 2003, when eight students took part in a summer workshop. For the 2004-05 school year, the school increased its participation to a trial class size of 25 students, with five students trained as College Summit Peer Leaders and one teacher trained as a College Summit Advisor. Delivery of the Navigator curriculum was conducted in an after-school setting once a week. These student participants applied to a wide range of four-year colleges and universities, including institutions that are part of the University of California and California State University systems. In addition, this group of students applied to a number of highly competitive private independent colleges, including Morehouse College, University of Southern California, Clark College, and Antioch University.

For the 2005-06 school year, Locke High School significantly increased its engagement with College Summit by enrolling 100 students and three new teachers in the program. The school leadership also committed to promoting its current College Summit Advisor to Coordinator of the program. This growth is expected to continue for 2006-2007, and it is occurring at a time of great opportunity at Locke High School. School administrators are committed to raising educational standards and performance, and the students taking part in College Summit in 2006-07 represent a critical cohort of young people who will help the school continue its progress toward greater college enrollment rates, and move the school further toward its goals for increasing overall student achievement.