Island High School

Summary

Island High opened as a continuation school in the 1970s as an alternative high school to Alameda and Encinal High Schools. The original campus was located at 2437 Eagle Avenue in Alameda, near the Park Street and Fruitvale Bridges. In 2007, Island High moved to its second location at 250 Singleton Avenue, the site of the old George P. Miller Elementary School. The elementary school building was renovated to better suit a high school environment. The high school has since moved again to its current location.

Island High is different from most traditional high schools in the state of California, in that it allows students to earn 7.5 credits every semester, instead of the usual 5 at a traditional high school. Moreover, the school doesn't give out F grades; instead, a "No Mark" is given in lieu of a failing grade. F and NM grades do not give credit. Students are also given credit through special optional assignments called Contracts, and can earn credits in a class by taking Challenge Exams, which, if passed, apply 5 credits in the exam's subject area, which is worth a semester of credits at a traditional high school.

Island High follows the same calendar as the rest of the Alameda Unified School District. However, instead of splitting the year into four nine-week-long quarters like a traditional high school, Island splits its year into six hexemesters, each six weeks long. Students can earn 2.5 credits per hex, allowing 7.5 credits per semester in every class. Semester end dates and holidays are the same as the other high schools in the district.

Enrollment

The student body of Island High has always been relatively small, with only approximately 200 students in the entire school. Most students at Island High are transfer students from Alameda and Encinal High Schools who are low on credits, with a small percentage of students transferring from outside the Alameda Unified School District. Once a student has a certain number of credits, he or she may choose to transfer out of Island and back to their original school. Few students actually choose to do this.

Graduation requirements

Despite being a continuation school, the diploma received at Island High is recognized just like one from a traditional high school in California. This is because the graduation requirements at Island High are the same as any other California high school. A student needs 230 credits, a minimum GPA of 1.75, twenty hours of community service, a completed Senior Portfolio, and a passing grade on the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) to graduate. The day a student successfully completes all graduation requirements is the day that they graduate. Given the many ways to earn credit at Island High, graduation can occur on any regular school day. Students who graduate midway through the school year are invited back in June to participate in a commencement ceremony.