The mission of the Santa Clara Unified School District is to prepare students of all ages and abilities to succeed in an ever-changing world. The district serves K-12 students with an experienced, talented staff of educators at all grade levels. The school district serves over 13,000 K-12 students and an additional 18,000 students in preschool through adult school.
Neighborhoods in the cities of Santa Clara, Sunnyvale and San Jose comprise the district’s 56-square-mile area. Santa Clara Unified prides itself on having teachers, classified employees and administrators who are dedicated, experienced professionals who care about each student’s well-being and academic preparation.
Santa Clara Unified offers a wide array of programs and services to benefit students and their families including:
- A full range of special education services for students with mild to moderate disabilities.
- A supplemental Migrant Education Program that assists students with academic services.
- An Education Partnership Program, which brings resources from the private sector to the classroom.
- A stimulating, comfortable environment where limited-English proficient students can acquire academic skills while learning English.
- Access to the Gifted and Talented Education Program.
- A food service program committed to providing appealing, nutritious meals and snacks for breakfast and lunch with free, or reduced-price meals, available for qualified students.
Mission College
Mission College is a public community college within the City of Santa Clara, in the heart of Silicon Valley. Offering more than 70 academic, vocational, basic skills and enrichment programs, Mission is a great place to earn an associate degree or certificate of proficiency, or to prepare for transfer to
a four-year university. Mission’s faculty is among the most qualified in the state and its students regularly praise the college for its small, intimate campus and its supportive and friendly atmosphere.
Mission has many programs and services to ensure student success. Financial aid can help make college affordable. The counseling department helps students set achievable goals with guidance through orientation, study skills and career courses. Mission’s career center and job placement office help students transition to the working world after college and sponsor a job fair every year featuring more than 60 employers.
Each spring semester, Mission College hosts the largest college fair in the San Francisco Bay area, where more than 180 national and international colleges and universities are represented. With modern facilities, state-of-the-art equipment and a well-trained, enthusiastic support staff, Mission is a place for students to learn, grow and make friends.
Santa Clara University
Located in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley, Santa Clara University offers a rigorous undergraduate curriculum in the arts and sciences, business and engineering. It has nationally recognized graduate and professional schools in business, law, engineering, pastoral ministries, counseling psychology and education.
With over 8,000 students, this Catholic, Jesuit university has a 160-year tradition of educating the whole person for a life of service and leadership. This diverse community of scholars, characterized by small classes and a values-oriented curriculum, is dedicated to educating students for competence, conscience and compassion.
Santa Clara University was founded in 1851 by the Society of Jesus as “Santa Clara College.” It is California’s oldest operating institution of higher learning and was established on the site of Mission Santa Clara de Asís, the eighth of the original 21 California missions.
Santa Clara experienced slow and steady growth during its first 60 years, becoming “The University of Santa Clara” in 1912, when the schools of engineering and law were added. The Leavey School of Business opened in 1926 and within a decade it became one of the first business schools in the country to receive national accreditation.