Sacramento City Unified School District

Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) is a public school system in Sacramento, California. With 47,900 students in 81 schools, it is the eleventh largest school district in California.^[2]

The SCUSD includes most of Sacramento south of the American River and some sections north of the river. The district also includes all of Freeport, Fruitridge Pocket, Lemon Hill and Rosemont, as well as most of La Riviera and Parkway, and portions of Elk Grove, Mather, and Rancho Cordova.^[3]

Harvey Willson “H.W.” Harkness was elected as the first president of the Sacramento board of education in 1853.^[4] In 1854, city commissioners opened Sacramento's first public school, consisting of two grammar schools and a co-ed primary school. In 1856, Sacramento High School, the city's first high school, opened.^[5] It was the second oldest American high school west of the Mississippi River until closing in 2003.^[6] In 1894, the board of education abolished segregated education.^[5]

In 2012, voters approved two general obligation bonds, Measure Q for $346,000,000^[7] and Measure R for $68,000,000,^[8] to improve district facilities.

The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University conducted for TIME magazine named Sacramento “America’s Most Diverse City.”^[9] Accordingly, SCUSD’s student population is reflected as 36% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian; 16.3% African American; and 19% white. About 7% of students are of two or more races. Residents within SCUSD speak more than 40 languages; 38% of students do not speak English at home.^[2]

The following is a list of SCUSD elementary schools:^[10]

The following is a list of SCUSD middle schools:^[11]

The following is a list of SCUSD high schools:^[12]

The following is a list of SCUSD charter schools:^[13][6]

The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education was formed by disgruntled parents, educators, and community members to counteract what was perceived as an attack on unionized public schools and the abrogation of the responsibility of the district to fund education for every child.

The Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) Board of Education, led by Superintendent Jim Sweeney, created several charter schools in the district, the most controversial of which is located on the campus of Sacramento High School.

To create a charter school at Sacramento High School, the SCUSD Board made the controversial decision to close Sacramento High School. They then issued a charter to St. Hope, a not-for-profit community development corporation founded by former NBA player Kevin Johnson. St. Hope opened its charter school on September 2, 2003. Some parents, along with the teachers' union, sued the district because it felt the creation of the charter school was not in compliance with California state law. The court found that SCUSD indeed violated the charter school law. A consent decree was entered into by the plaintiffs, St. Hope, and SCUSD. and the settlement required that SCUSD create a public high school for the attendance area served by Sacramento High School. To date several unsuccessful attempts have been made to establish a replacement program for Sacramento High school.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sacramento City Unified School District.

• Official website

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