Programs of Choice

It’s an exciting time to be a student in the Sunnyvale School District. Not only does each child benefit from an enriched curriculum and evidence-based teaching methods, but families can also choose from a variety of special-interest programs to best meet their needs.  During the district’s open-enrollment period each February, families may opt to transfer children from their home school to one of the following Programs of Choice for the following year, depending on space available. 

Bishop Leader in Me embraces the evidence-based Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Students, staff, and families develop leadership habits, setting personal goals, practicing self-discipline, and striving for wellness; encouraging the spirit and achievement of others; and sharing responsibility for the overall success of the team. The seven habits form the basis for Bishop’s school culture, serve as the school’s common language, and build a foundation for lifelong achievement and success.

Fairwood Explorer Elementary is a great choice for parents who like to participate in your child’s classroom. The whole school is organized in a way that encourages families to be involved and puts parents in direct contact with the students. Children get extra personal attention, spend a lot of time in small-group instruction, and attend a number of field trips throughout the year.

Lakewood Tech EQ helps children to develop the social skills and emotional intelligence (EQ) they need to master today’s ever-present technology and use it constructively in class and in life. We build on our students’ natural kindness and connection with others, while explicitly teaching them how to increase their emotional resilience and social competence. We leverage these emerging social and emotional skills to help children develop their communication and problem-solving abilities. 

Vargas Student Success Through Science provides students with a unique opportunity to view most of their curriculum through a scientific lens. Even language arts and social studies are taught in a way that incorporates science. Field trips and assemblies are science-based, and there is a new science lab on-site, so even students as young as kindergarteners are able to dig into experiments regularly!

Juntos Spanish-English Dual-Language Immersion at San Miguel School offers kindergarteners an opportunity to become bilingual in English and Spanish, in written and oral language, by the time they reach fifth grade! No prior foreign language experience is required, and families do not have to be bilingual to participate. Studies show that students in dual-language immersion programs out-perform others academically in later school years. San Miguel School was also named an Ashoka Changemaker School for excellence in social-emotional wellness.

Columbia Middle School’s University Partnership Program (UPP) offers enrolled students an opportunity to work with Stanford University teacher candidates in addition to Sunnyvale school teachers right on campus. Students also benefit from using curriculum and techniques that have been vetted and recommended by Stanford’s School of Education.

Read more about the Sunnyvale School District's Programs of Choice.