For the first time in over a decade, Los Altos High School will once again have a program to support students who are learning English.

The Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously at a Monday, Jan. 24, meeting to offer English Language Development classes at Los Altos High beginning in the 2022-2023 school year.

The district's English Language Development program has been consolidated at Mountain View High since 2010, meaning that students learning English who would ordinarily attend Los Altos High have either had to switch schools or forgo receiving targeted services. Although Los Altos High has academic support classes, it doesn't offer courses that directly teach students English, Associate Superintendent Teri Faught said.

Despite the lack of these classes, many students who qualify for the English Language Development program opt to stay at Los Altos. This school year, 66 students learning English chose to stay at Los Altos High, while 92 transferred to Mountain View, according to data Faught presented on Monday.

Those who switch schools often face a long trek to campus each day. Many use public transportation, Faught told the board, which often involves multiple buses and can take an hour each way.

"We have heard time and time again from these students and their parents the hardships of the transportation … to Mountain View High School," Faught said.

The majority of students who are learning English in the district live within Los Altos High's attendance boundaries, with only 76 residing in Mountain View High's area.

Students who stay at Los Altos have seen less progress learning English than their peers attending the dedicated program at Mountain View High. In the 2020-2021 school year, 48% of English learners at Mountain View High progressed by at least one level in English ability, compared with just 27% at Los Altos High, according to state data Faught presented. On the flip side, 27% of English learners at Los Altos actually decreased by at least one level, versus 12% at Mountain View.

The issue, Faught said, isn't with the schools themselves, but is due to the lack of targeted classes teaching written and spoken language, grammar and translation at Los Altos High.

Trustee Debbie Torok was supportive of restarting the English Language Development program at Los Altos High, saying that she remembers when it was originally consolidated at Mountain View.

"Over the years we've seen an increasing number of students that qualify for EL that are staying at Los Altos," Torok said. "I think now with the numbers increasing to the level that they are, it warrants bringing back an EL program at Los Altos High School."

The board unanimously approved up to $320,000 to fund the program at Los Altos High next school year. The plan is for the program to grow according to students' needs, with more services offered over time, Faught said.

Students who live within Los Altos High's attendance area but are currently attending Mountain View High will have the option to stay or return to their home school. New students will be assigned to their normal high school, based on where they live.