Principal's Message
Santiago Middle School was built in 1973 on 22.5 acres in the El Modena area in the city of Orange. We are located on Rancho Santiago Blvd. between Bond and Chapman Avenues. In 1995, Santiago Middle School opened as Orange County's first charter school, and charter number sixty-sixth in the state of California. In June 2005, the school marked our tenth anniversary as a charter school, and entered its second decade by becoming an independent charter. Being a charter school allows Santiago to receive its funding directly from the state government, resulting in site-based management of every aspect of the operations of the school. While Orange Unified School District maintains oversight responsibilities, Santiago is solely in charge of providing a quality educational experience for its middle school students. Santiago currently operates on a traditional August to June calendar with a staggered start for seventh graders who start one day early. In 2011, Santiago was awarded the honor of being named one of only seven schools in Orange County to earn the distinction of being named a California Distinguished School. Santiago was also recognized as a California Distinguished school in 1999.
In addition to our standards-based curriculum which is offered to all students, the school also offers the following programs:
Gate/Honors
AVID
English Language Learner Classes
Special Education Classes
Electives (details below)
The Staff at Santiago shares a vision of a student-centered program dedicated to the educational well-being of each of its unique middle school students. At Santiago Middle School our mission is to assist our students to attain an educational advantage by delivering a quality and disciplined public school education of unmatched value. The hallmark of Santiago's mission statement is the belief that adolescents deserve a quality curriculum designed specifically for them; that middle school is a time for exploration and discovery for interests. While other middle schools state-wide are cutting their exploratory programs, Santiago continues to work so that these invaluable classes remain a part of the curriculum. As a result, each student at Santiago has the option of choosing two per year of the following electives: Art, Vocal Music, Drama, Foreign Language Wheel, French, Spanish, German, Industrial Arts, Home Economics, Band, Orchestra, Speech, Reading, and Musical Theater. All of the elective teachers have received training in the areas of reading and writing, and they incorporate these lessons into their programs in support of Santiago's standards-based curriculum.
Understanding that it takes a village to raise children, Santiago has developed a strong partnership with its parents, and asks that each family provide twelve service hours each year. Santiago has, along with the principal, two assistant principals, a counselor, a part-time psychologist, a part-time counselor for at-risk students, a part-time nurse, and a part-time speech therapist. Our support staff reflects Santiago's desire to help its students strive to not only succeed academically, but socially as well. Developing students of strong character, academic excellence, and community involvement is one of Santiago's goals while preparing students for a successful transition to high school. Because we value our partnership with the community and parents, we welcome comments and questions.