Go Castro Cougars! The school is definitely a hidden gem. My daughter was lucky to have Ms. de Carvalho for two years. She and her other fantastic teachers in the Dual Immersion Program gave her a love of learning and fluent Spanish language skills that will last her lifetime. Incredible for a public school. We feel so lucky!

Castro was the only school in the valley that scored perfect score on SAT tests for its whites subgroup. Amazing! Higher than any school in Palo Alto, Los Altos, Cupertino, etc.

Agreed! My kids could have gone to Huff but they are at Castro in dual immersion. Great community feel and fantastic teachers. Dr. Crates is inspiring. Thanks for bringing it some well deserved press.

Both my children went through Castro's Dual Immersion Program. Not only did they get a great education, they are now bilingual as well. There is not a more dedicated group of teachers around. They work to reach every child, and the kids respond wonderfully to such a great atmosphere.

Castro is a truly fantastic school! Our son attended the dual-immersion program as an inter-district transfer. He loved it, we loved the community, and he got a solid bilingual education in an environment that prepared him well for middle school. We can't say enough in praise of the teachers and in particular Dr. Crates who has done so much for the school. Judy's dedication and tireless work to ensure that *all* of the kids at Castro get the support they need to excel is just wonderful!

I'm glad Maya P. mentioned the 'best in class' status for Castro non - Economicaly Disadvantaged students vs Los Altos and Palo Alto. The League of Women Voters likes to match MV vs LA schools. Here is an example where our culturally diverse education (DI) wins hands down! Although there are over 40% Economically Disadvantaged students in MVWSD, the percent in Los Altos is "not statistically significant". It is never appropriate to directly compare our schools vs Los Altos (the comparable district is Sunnyvale).
Principal Crates is a factor in this school (I had 9 years experience with her as a principal, and several more working with her as a substitute teacher). The local PTA has really been an important factor in this also! (and kudos to Maya - who has really helped)
S.N. is a candidate for MVWSD Board

- oops - educational gobblygook, The standardized tests referred to are the CST (California standardized test or STAR tests) and not the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test - college entrance test).

Mr. Nelson:

It's the quality of all the teachers at Castro that are making a difference as well. Most of the teachers speak and teach in more than one language, even in the English only classes. Many teachers are Stanford grads who did their training at Castro, many have masters degrees (tied at the stop with Huff for teachers with advanced degrees--and Ms. de Carvalho with a doctorate and National Board Certified), many have been at Castro for years and have never quit or moved on to the "easier" schools in the district like so many others before them. A third of the teachers are minorities as well--the highest percentage in the district--reflecting the population they teach.

Though we live in the Bubb school area, we sent our kids to Castro for the Dual Immersion program and are very happy with the results. Great credit goes to Principal Crates and to the teachers (especially Maestra de Carvalho) who have set an expectation for excellence and for contributions from all the students and parents at the school.

Great news and congratulations to all in Castro for this turnaround. I'm wondering if the Spanish-speaking population becomes fluent in English or is only the English speaker that learns Spanish?

Member:

The Spanish speaking population learns English. Why wouldn't they? The instruction is in English in non-DI classes. And if Spanish speaking kids are not learning sufficient English in DI, they are put back in the English only strand. And just because someone speaks Spanish doesn't mean they can read and write in Spanish. In those cases Spanish-Speaking students become literate in both Spanish and English.

Castro has been a "hidden jewel" for a lot longer than this article credits (long before Judy Crates arrived). My daughter started kindergarten there in 1997 the second year of dual immersion program and is now a fluent-speaking university student in Chile. The sad thing is that there is no continuation of the dual immersion experience beyond Castro, into middle school, so kids who want to continue with high-level Spanish have no public school options. We (and several other Castro families) opted for The Girls' Middle School, which offers Spanish for native speakers.

While the Girls Middle school is an option, it is very expensive! My daughter was accepted and was promised a good financial aid package. Come to find out, that fell through and she wasn't going to be able to go. Its fine. Her dad is from Peru, works as a chef at Stanford and one of the students there is teaching her Spanish. I do think you make a very valid point. You can get Spanish class at Crittenden. My daughter goes there, and although she didn't go through DI program, which is awesome, she realizes the need to be bilingual.

Wow, I had no idea! My son went through the public school system in Mountain View and learned Spanish well, but maybe Castro would have added to his stellar education and opened even more interests and doors for him. Good job, everyone.

this may not get followed but .. thanks TMD, I did not realize all the teacher details. Teachers in MV since the 1970s have been pushing for more minority teacher hiring (Whisman Dist. history in the MV Library history room). BTW there is now follow-on academic Spanish opportunity at the middle school level. In 3 more years these will hit the HS district.
[cudos for the District and Graham for listening and implemting this]