The success of San Ysidro High School in getting students to be college-ready has earned the school validation as a National AVID Demonstration School.

    AVID, or Achievement Via Individual Determination, is an educational program aimed at preparing students who typically earn B’s and C’s for college eligibility. Students are placed in advanced classes and also attend one AVID class period where they receive training in the academic skills and study habits needed to succeed in college

    At San Ysidro, AVID students enroll in rigorous classes such as Advanced Placement (AP) World History, AP English Literature and AP Calculus. Through the program, students also learn all the steps necessary to admission to a four-year university, including preparing for the SAT/ACT exams.

    “We are very proud of the strong AVID program at San Ysidro High,” said School Board President John McCann. “Not only are they helping students meet high academic expectations, but they are grooming for continued success after high school graduation.”

    Since opening the doors in 2002, San Ysidro High principal Hector Espinoza has enlisted the faculty to create a college-going culture at the school. By setting high expectations and providing increasingly rigorous courses, the school has steadily raised student achievement.

    Over the past eight years, the AVID program at the school has grown to include 400 students and is thriving. The school collaborates closely with the feeder middle schools to offer transitional support and preparation to incoming freshmen.

    With this recognition, San Ysidro High becomes the 121st AVID Demonstration School out of 4,600 schools with the AVID program. Demonstration school sites serve as research and development laboratories for staff from new and existing AVID schools.