Cambrian Academy

The Cambrian Academy was founded in 2008 by Dave Delgado to "prepare students to enter the universities of their choice."^[1] Headmaster Dave Delgado has been in private school management for 20+ years.

Cambrian Academy hires teachers with advanced degrees and limits the size of most classes to 10 students.^[2]

Small classes, taught in seminar style, ensure that students have every opportunity to master advanced material.

The school is located in San Jose, California.

College Preparatory School

The essential distinction between high school and college prep has to do with the primary goal. As a college preparatory school, Cambrian Academy begins preparing students for college from Day One. In addition to simply satisfying graduation requirements, students must research colleges and universities and work with the staff on a college admission plan.

A College-Going Culture

The question on students' minds should not be Will I go to college?, but rather Which college will I go to?^[3] Each Wednesday morning, students attend workshops that focus on various aspects of preparing for college. In the lower grades, students focus on personality and aptitude surveys and set up their collegeboard.com accounts. These lead to learning about various college majors and the careers to follow. Students then move on to standardized test strategies and a semester-long college admission essay class.

Meaningful Community Service

In addition to its Student Council, Cambrian Academy runs a vibrant Interact Club sponsored by the Rotary Club of Saratoga. The Interact Club is responsible for one local and one international community service activity per year.

International School

Cambrian International Academy (CIA) enrolls foreign students from 6th through 12th grade. CIA's stated objective for foreign students is to quickly develop their English language skills so they can be mainstreamed into the academy's general student population. This prevents foreign students from becoming isolated, as happens too often in many ESL programs.^[4]

Cambrian International Academy (CIA) is authorized by the U.S. Government to issue I-20's to qualified students, grades 6-12. I-20 Visas permit foreign students to study in America legally.^[5]

Extra-Curricular Activity

CIA offers programs outside regular coursework, including GoKart racing, autocross, soccer, golf, sailing, and tennis.

Accreditation

The Accrediting Commission of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges says the following about Cambrian International Academy:

• The school's leadership team and individual staff members are enthusiastic about their work and demonstrate a caring commitment to each individual student's learning.
• The school's mission and purpose are strongly supported by communications, quality of instruction, teacher accessibility, and the provision of a nurturing environment for learning.
• The seminar instructional approach strongly supports problem solving and deeper thinking for students at the school.
• There exists a "can-do" attitude at Cambrian that supports future growth for both the school and its individual students.^[6]

CIA has received the longest term of full accreditation offered by WASC.
CIA's accreditation status can be viewed on the WASC website.^[7]

References