I agree with xtina and want to add that MANY local high schools offer an International Baccalaureate (IB) Program. The student has to sign a contract every year to remain in this program and has many extra projects to complete, so much so that it takes many more hours of their time as opposed to just testing for each Advanced Placement class (AP), if necessary and entering into and participating in them. The AP classes give your student an extra point for calculating his/her GPA upon graduation. In other words, an “A” in an AP class is worth 5 pts instead of 4 (in a “regular” class). Any Piggs correct me if I have this wrong.
MANY local elementary and middle schools offer GATE programs throughout the county, in EVERY district. If your child’s grades are satisfactory in the first grade they successfully tested into a GATE program (usually 4th or 5th grade), then they will be passed onto GATE classes in the following grade (up thru Grade 8).
Entering HS from a middle school GATE program is by no means an indicator of successful completion of AP classes in HS, which can be exceedingly and progressively difficult for your student. Many previous GATE students cannot handle the difficult material of AP HS classes and are better served to remain in regular “college prep” classes satisfying the state “A thru G” entrance requirements of CU and CSU and maintain an all-important higher GPA.
IMO, it is not the district or the school that matters, it is the offerings of the particular school serving the attendance area that you are considering purchasing a residence in that should be your main consideration. If you won’t know which “attendance area” you will fall into due to impaction issues, then that is a problem where you cannot possibly plan that a testing opportunity for a particular program will be offered to your child(ren). In that case, I would suggest looking at ALL the programs in EVERY school which might serve your intended new residence or search elsewhere for a residence where the schools are NOT impacted (where you will be living in a “guaranteed” attendance area).
When all is said and done, it is mainly the GPA derived from grades 10-11 which is used as criteria for CA state college admission. Grade 12 GPA is later reviewed by Admissions Boards (after the admission decision and acceptance has already been made) only to make sure the admitted student has been maintaining his/her GPA. A “sought-after” elem/middle school “experience” might enrich a particular student but will have NOTHING to do with the college admissions process.
