Sequoia district says TIDE less diverse than some big schools

While some describe the high school as a focused educational model that successfully serves an underrepresented group of students — only one student in three senior classes didn’t graduate — district staff, at a recent information meeting, described the school as lacking diversity. 

“Compared to the four larger high schools in the district, TIDE is less diverse,” Diana Wilmot, director of Program Evaluation and Research, said at a data and information meeting Tuesday. 

Enrollment trends, financial reports and demographics at TIDE Academy, compared to the district at-large, were presented at two meetings, Tuesday and Thursday. The meetings, with no public participation allowed, bookended a minimally-detailed procedural update by Superintendent Crystal Leach on the school’s possible closure at Wednesday’s board meeting. 

Highlighted data points provided at Tuesday’s meeting included that TIDE Academy serves a higher proportion of male students, at 58% of the school’s population, compared to the districtwide average of 53%. One public commenter at the board meeting Wednesday questioned the relevance of this data point. 

The fact that 61% of students at TIDE in the 2025-26 school year were designated as socioeconomically disadvantaged, compared to the districtwide average of 33%, was also noted. The school also serves the largest percentage of students with special education services in the district. 

The school’s racial and ethnic diversity was also presented. After Redwood High School and East Palo Alto High School, TIDE Academy serves the largest percentage of Hispanic or Latino students. 

At the board meeting Wednesday, many public commenters referenced the data presented the night prior, and advocated to keep TIDE Academy open for the sake of student success

One commenter, Daniel Chang, questioned how a school that primarily serves students who are socioeconomically disadvantaged or on independent educational plans could be described as having low diversity. 

Another, Jenny Elkins, said the reason the school sees a disproportional representation of certain students is because the education at TIDE Academy works for those demographics. 

“TIDE’s model is more accessible, more effective and is giving students the best chance after high school,” Jenny Elkins said during public comment. “If the district is truly committed to equity, it cannot ignore the proven model that actually delivers it.”

TIDE’s possible closure was only first mentioned at the Board of Trustee’s meeting Nov. 13, 2025, after a subcommittee of trustees looked at the district’s structural deficit and enrollment patterns and recommended it may be in the district’s best financial interest to close the small campus. 

The attention brought to possibly closing TIDE Academy was due to “per pupil expenditure and enrollment,” Leach said at Wednesday’s board meeting. A disproportionate amount of resources are required to operate the school, district officials have said.

Class sizes at TIDE Academy are particularly small, by design. While low student to teacher ratios are a plus for those in the classroom, and a big draw for many families interested in TIDE, that small ratio costs more than a bigger class size, trustees have noted. 

In December, trustees questioned if TIDE Academy was truly intended for extremely small classes. However, the school’s dual enrollment model affects class sizes, Student Trustee Christopher Chang said at Wednesday’s board meeting. 

In many cases, one teacher in one classroom could be overseeing two groups of students — some taking a high school course, and some who are dually enrolled in a corresponding Foothill College course. Although the courses are reported separately, resulting in “tiny classes” on paper, the reality is a class size of 10-20 students together in the same space. 

“We’re not really some weird little institution in the corner with three kids and a teacher in a classroom,” Chang said. “Those statistics are artifacts of how the dual enrollment program is structured.” 

TIDE Academy opened in August 2019 to 103 ninth graders, just ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022-23 school year was the first school year with all four grade levels. 

Since the 2023-24 school year, the number of ninth graders has continued to grow each year, and the number of ninth graders enrolled in the current school year is the highest it has ever been since the inaugural class. 

Ellen Jacobson, a teacher in the district, said the school “has not been given the time it deserves to determine its level of success,” during public comment. 

On Wednesday, Leach briefly updated trustees and members of the public on what the district is doing before the board must make a final decision Feb. 4. 

A website page dedicated to cataloging the process of determining the future of TIDE Academy includes a list of frequently asked questions. 

One question asks if closing TIDE is the only option under consideration to address the district’s budget deficit, to which the district answers that additional cost-saving measures are also being explored. No discussion of other problem-solving options in public meetings have taken place so far. 

A second informational meeting about finances, academic programs and school recruitment was slated to be discussed Thursday evening. A study session Jan. 26 on the topic will then be held at Sequoia High School to accommodate a larger audience. 

Nine days later, the Board of Trustees will make a final decision whether TIDE Academy will close its doors before the start of the 2026-27 school year.