Message From the Executive Director

Welcome to the 2025-2026 school year. UPA is beginning its 19th year, and just like the students in our graduating class of 2026, the future seems full of possibilities, and we anticipate continued growth and success.  This academic year extends our success from last year. UPA was ranked as having the highest possible rating for a charter school by the California Department of Education. UPA was the only high school in the Bay Area with that ranking and is one of only 31 schools celebrating that distinction. UPA was also ranked as one of the top schools in California by the US News and World Report. The accolades do not measure up to the outcomes of our students. The students from the graduating class of 2025 have been accepted to Harvard, Georgia Tech, New York University, Penn State University, every UC in California, CSU San Louis Obispo, USC, and many, many more.

The students, staff, and community have worked hard to create opportunities that could not have happened if we were not all united by our common Mission. Every student entering UPA believes that they, through hard work and dedication, will make the dream of college success a reality. To attain this lofty goal, students taking rigorous classes are willing to challenge themselves every day. Our students do not take on this journey alone – we have one of the best counseling-to-student ratios in California and a full team of mental health workers. If students need academic or social-emotional support, they will find willing teachers, counselors, and social workers ready to help.

This year, I will be challenging our students to live up to our common values and schoolwide expectations. It is incumbent on all of us to create a healthy, safe, and caring school united by a common goal – everyone’s drive for college success. The staff will be helping students develop values that are both internally motivating and supportive of a unique campus that supports everyone.

• Responsibility: Contribute to personal and whole school success.

• Growth Mindset: Foster personal resiliency, perseverance, and inquiry.

• Community: Cultivate a safe, respectful, and supportive environment for the entire community.

• Learning: Commit to being a lifelong learner.

• Integrity: Demonstrate ethical and honest behavior in all academic and social environments.

• Collaboration: Work together toward common outcomes.

New this year are three important schoolwide expectations that are designed to help students improve their focus in the classroom, create a hate-free campus, and develop academic integrity that focuses on students developing their voice:

• Students will not use profanity, hate speech, or shaming towards another student or staff member.

• Students will demonstrate appropriate use of technology, such as no cell phone or earbud use in the classroom, and will use only task-oriented websites.

• Students will demonstrate academic integrity by refusing to copy from another student, plagiarizing from the internet or text, and will not use AI to complete assignments.

Every student who graduates from UPA has a bright future and untapped potential. They graduate with hope and a willingness to embrace the unknown. UPA is now reaching that same age and, once again, we look forward to another successful year full of students with promise and an eagerness to begin.

Sincerely,

David Porter