• Richmond High School has adopted the Academy System through the use of . You can see the current . This shows you how each year the courses build towards mastery in each of the Academies. Many of our WCCUSD secondary schools use the academy model to help our students prepare for college and career. Some of the qualities of our academies include:

    • Career Technical Education (CTE) Courses - These classes are designed to bring real-world education and curriculum to our students using project-based learning. Students work with professionals from their fields to learn about the specific subject and career opportunities.
    • Teachers collaborate together to build integrated projects; students build a project in their English, History, and CTE class working on solving real world issues and building skills to prepare them for life beyond high school.
    • Professionals for each academy sit on advisory boards, guiding the teachers and students towards the most relevant practices in their fields.
    • Academies allow students to go on field trips around the bay area, from Google, to the Disney Museum, to the California Shakespeare Festival, Court Houses, Chevron, and local hospitals to gain first hand experience.
    • All students, 9th-12th grade participate in an academy at Richmond High. 

    Our school currently has 5 academies and they are:

    • LAW - Ms. Garcia (Lead) - Our law academy often leads our school in reading scores because everything they do is based on logic and reason. Students study with real lawyers, police officers, and meetjudges. Through mock trial students learn about the process of law.
    • Health - Ms. Capone (Lead) - Students in the health academy will focus on issues of mental, behavioral, and public health. Students get firsthand experience working with public health professionals in the county to create solutions to health issues impacting our own communities. Students tackle issues such as air quality, food availability, and accessibility of health services. They also have opportunities to shadow medical professionals, and can take classes at Contra Costa College, including CNA courses, to prepare them for a life in both public health and medical fields.
    • Multimedia - Mr. Zaragoza (Lead) - Students learn to write to express themselves, journalism, produce video news shows, and last year were involved in NPR's California Report. Students explore how media helps humans shape their world and improve it.
    • Engineering Academy (EPA) - Mr. Van De LaarSchot (Lead) - Students partner with Chevron and UC Berkeley to learn how to pull items apart and put them back together. This academy is academically tough, and heavy on math, but engineering students have frequently led at Richmond High in college opportunities. Students will build electric bikes, and visit with real construction engineers and work side by side on projects.
    • Internationals Academy - This academy is specially designed for students who are new to the United States in the past 6 months. It is part of a national academy system originally from New York. See our other website pages for more information on this academy. 

    Academy Switches:

    Students will be introduced to the academies through Helms Middle School in 8th grade. Once more in 10th grade, students will receive a final opportunity to switch academies. The process for switching requires acceptance from the new academy, and the completion of an application that is provided by the counselors.

    Stohl's/Sashes: Each Academy awards students upon graduation a sash signifying a student's completion of their academy program. This is an honor for students, and a proud moment knowing they have completed the full class cycle.

    Academies provide opportunities for students to build their skills. Many students find internships or jobs right out of high school through the academy system. Learn how you can get your student involved today.