University Preparatory Academy (UPA) is a

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

located in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...

, United States. Its charter was approved by the Santa Clara Board of Trustees. UPA opened in the fall of 2007 as a middle and

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

, offering grades 7–12th. As of 2020, approximately 650 students attend UPA with a 21:1 student-teacher ratio. In 2020, UPA was ranked the 120th best high school in the nation and the 13th best in California by '' U.S. News & World Report''.

Background

University Preparatory Academy Campus 3D Render

UPA was founded as University Preparatory Academy in 2007. Graduation standards are more rigorous than at other high schools, requiring more AP units than is mandated by California laws. UPA's campus is located near downtown San Jose in the Willow Glen area. It shares its campus with the Cathedral of Faith, and features its own outdoors amphitheater.

Available courses

Core classes

*Mathematics - Common Core (Math 7, Math 8, Integrated Math 1, Integrated Math 2, Integrated Math 3, Integrated Math 3+), Statistics,

Pre-Calculus In mathematics education, precalculus is a course, or a set of courses, that includes algebra and trigonometry at a level which is designed to prepare students for the study of calculus. Schools often distinguish between algebra and trigonometr ...

, AP Calculus AB,

AP Calculus BC Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus (also known as AP Calc, Calc AB / Calc BC or simply AB / BC) is a set of two distinct Advanced Placement calculus courses and exams offered by the American nonprofit organization College Board. AP Calculus AB cover ...

*English - English 7-12, AP Language and Composition, AP Literature and Composition *Foreign Languages - Spanish 1, Spanish 2, Spanish 3, Spanish Immersion,

AP Spanish Language Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish Language and Culture (also known as AP Spanish Language, AP Spanish V, or AP Spanish) is a course and examination offered by the College Board in the United States education system as part of the Advanced Placeme ...

, AP Spanish Literature *Science -

Life Science Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy t ...

Physical Science Physical science is a branch of natural science that studies non-living systems, in contrast to life science. It in turn has many branches, each referred to as a "physical science", together called the "physical sciences". Definition Phy ...

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

, Chemistry,

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

AP Environmental Science Advanced Placement (AP) Environmental Science (also known as APES, AP Enviro, AP Environmental, AP Environment, or AP EnviroSci) is a course and exam offered by the American College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program to high school ...

AP Biology Advanced Placement (AP) Biology (also known as AP Bio) is an Advanced Placement biology course and exam offered by the College Board in the United States. For the 2012–2013 school year, the College Board unveiled a new curriculum with a greate ...

, AP Chemistry, Marine Biology *History - Ancient Civilizations, American History, World Geography,

World History World history may refer to: * Human history, the history of human beings * History of Earth, the history of planet Earth * World history (field), a field of historical study that takes a global perspective * ''World History'' (album), a 1998 albu ...

, U.S. History,

Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

, AP U.S. Government and Politics,

AP World History Advanced Placement (AP) World History: Modern (also known as just AP World History, AP World, or WHAP) is a college-level course and examination offered to high school students in the United States through the College Board's Advanced Placemen ...

, AP U.S. History

Clubs

University Preparatory Academy has a number of clubs, founded and funded mostly by students and widely ranging in theme. *Speech and Debate *Interact Club 5170 Area 7 *EcoSquad *GirlUp! *

International Biology Olympiad The International Biology Olympiad (IBO) is a biological olympiad for pre-university students under the age 20, and is one of the most well-known International Science Olympiads. The first IBO was held in Czechoslovakia in 1990, and it has since b ...

Science Olympiad Science Olympiad is an American team competition in which students compete in 23 events pertaining to various fields of science, including earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Over 7,800 middle school and high school team ...

*Web Design Club *Design Club *Innovation, Design, Engineering and Animation Club (IDEA) *Creature Conservation Club *Korean Culture Club (대박!) *ARK Club (Acts of Random Kindness) *Spanish Club (Unidad Poder Academico) *Filipino Culture Club (Hawak-Kamay) *BARC (Big-hearted Animal Rescue Club) *Inter-Key Club *SNAP Fundraiser Club *Robotics Club *FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) *Girls Who Code Club *Hack Club

Athletics

The UPA Golden Eagles field 12 teams in 4 sports, with both middle school and varsity teams. The Golden Eagles compete in the

Private School Athletic League Private School Athletic League is a high school athletic conference that is part of the CIF Central Coast Section of the California Interscholastic Federation. It comprises 16 small private and/or charter high schools generally between San Jos ...

of the

CIF Central Coast Section The Central Coast Section (CCS) is the governing body of public and private high school athletics in the portion of California encompassing San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, Monterey County, San Benito County, Santa Cruz County and a few pri ...

Theatre and Dance Department

Each year UPA hosts two drama productions (a fall play and spring musical) and a fall dance showcase every spring by the students in dance classes at the school. Students can audition to perform in the theatre productions or apply to be on technical crews or part of the band for musicals. Below is a list of some of UPA's previous shows. *20102011: ''Lovers' Quarrels,

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown ''You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown'' is a 1967 musical with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner and (in a 1999 revision) Andrew Lippa. It is based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in his comic strip ''Peanuts''. The musical ...

'' *20112012: ''I Hate Shakespeare!, Grease'' *20122013: ''30 Reasons NOT To Be In A Play,

Once On This Island ''Once on This Island'' is a coming-of-age one-act stage musical with a book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. It is based on the 1985 novel ''My Love, My Love; or, The Peasant Girl'' by Rosa Guy, a Caribbean-set retelling ...

'' *20132014: ''The Broken Badge,

Hairspray Hairspray may refer to: * Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind * ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters ** ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundtrack), the film's soundtrack album ** ''Hairspray ...

'' *20142015: ''

Snow Angel A snow angel is a design, made in fresh snow, by lying on one's back and moving one's arms up and down, and one's legs from side to side, to form the shape of an angel. Technique The creation of the snow angel is a simple process. The first s ...

Once Upon A Mattress ''Once Upon a Mattress'' is a musical comedy with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer, and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, and Marshall Barer. It opened off-Broadway in May 1959, and then moved to Broadway. The play was writte ...

'' *20152016: ''

Spy School ''Spy School'' (also known as ''Doubting Thomas'') is a 2008 American comedy-drama film, released outside the United States as ''Doubting Thomas'' or ''Lies and Spies''. Although a 2008 release, the movie was actually filmed in Albuquerque, New ...

Footloose Footloose may refer to: * ''Footloose'' (1984 film), a musical film ** ''Footloose'' (1984 soundtrack) ** "Footloose" (song), performed by Kenny Loggins * ''Footloose'' (2011 film), a remake of the 1984 film ** ''Footloose'' (2011 soundtrack) ...

'' *20162017: ''The End of the World (With Prom to Follow), Singin' in the Rain'' *20172018: ''Emma!''

Events

University Preparatory Academy holds schoolwide events. Such events include: *The Annual Jog-a-thon — Students jog laps in the school parking lot to raise funds for the school athletics program. *School Dances — Many dances are held throughout the year, including

Homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...

, the Halloween Dance, Spring Dance, and

Prom A promenade dance, commonly called a prom, is a dance party for high school students. It may be offered in semi-formal black tie or informal suit for boys, and evening gowns for girls. This event is typically held near the end of the school y ...

. *Friday Movie Nights — On occasion, the entire school is invited to watch a movie of their choice on a Friday. *Drama Productions — These are showcased twice every year, and UPA students are recruited to act in or support a play. Typically, the finished products are showcased in fall and spring. *Junior College Trip — Once a year, junior students are taken on a trip to southern California to tour colleges, such as the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...

, the

University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and p ...

, California Polytechnic State University, and others. Students on this trip learn about the application process and familiarize themselves with college campuses. *Annual College Trip — Each class visits a regional university to ready themselves for graduation from high school and entrance into college. Schools visited include Stanford University, the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

, and the

University of California, Santa Cruz The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of California system. Located on Monterey Bay, on the edge of ...

Developers/founders

*Daniel Ordaz — Education Consultant, Retired Assistant Superintendent of East Side Union High School District *Jacklyn Guevara — Retired Executive Director of East Side Union High School District *Dorothy Westerhoff — Education Consultant, Retired Educator/School Administrator of East Side Union High School District *Kurt Foreman — Director of Operations for Cathedral of Faith

References

External links

UPA's Developers/FoundersUPA's WebsiteUPA's Sports SiteJournalism Website
{{authority control High schools in San Jose, California Charter schools in California Public high schools in California Public middle schools in California Charter schools in the United States 2007 establishments in California