www.davincicharteracdemy.net

Administration Tyler Millsap - PrincipalScott Stephen Bell - High School Vice Principal Erika Strand - Head Counselor (HS - last names L-Z)Nicole Roper - Counselor (HS - last names A-K), 504Coordinator (JH/HS)Annie Nelson - Junior High Vice PrincipalKala Ebbe - Head Counselor (JH)

Da Vinci High school opened in 2004 with a small-schoolgrant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. As oneof the earliest members of the New Tech Network, DaVinci founded itself on the core principals of ProjectBased Learning (PBL), and creating a collaborative andinclusive school community. In 2009, the school becamea Dependent Charter of DJUSD and was renamed DaVinci Charter Academy (DVCA). Da Vinci High Schoolmoved to the Valley Oak Campus and shortly after that,the Da Vinci Junior High Program was added at theEmerson campus. DVCA is an A-G,WASC accredited,college preparatory program. Now in its 16th year, DaVinci remains a unique and progressive school that iscommitted to deeper learning. In May of 2019, DJUSDapproved facilities funds that will allow DVHS to improveits facilities through improved parking, additionalclassrooms, administrative offices, outdoor learningareas and construction of a “Tech Hub” building, whichwill include indoor commons, a new NGSS science lab,P.E. Locker Rooms, and CTE learning spaces. DVCA willshift to a 7-8 grade junior high program and a 9-12 highschool program. This work is scheduled for completion bythe 2022-2023 school year.

School Profile 2019-2020

Our Story and Our Mission

Faculty and StaffDVCA employs 29 full-time teachers, 3 part-timeteachers, 3 counselors, 2 full-time administrators and 1part-time administrator. Approximately 30 classifiedstaff members are employed in administrative support,internship coordination, special education, campussafety and technology support. DVCA works closelywith DJUSD for many additional services includingstudent nutrition, custodial, and special education. In the same way DVCA is a choice school for students,it is also a choice for employees. The faculty and staffembrace the PBL model and the collaborative, inclusivecommunity. Da Vinci staff members are trained throughthe New Tech Network (NTN) and PBL Works (formerlyBuck Institute for Education). Several teachers are NTNCertified Teachers or members of the PBL WorksNational Faculty. Da Vinci teachers engage in ongoingprofessional development during the school year andduring the summer to continue honing their PBLpractice.

DVCA utilizes an inquiry-based approach to learning andfocuses on the outcomes in our Graduate Profile. Ourcurriculum is not heavily focused on AP courses becauseemphasis is placed on heterogeneous grouping anddifferentiated curriculum to support all students in reachingtheir potential. Beyond those above and, depending onavailability, it is sometimes possible for a DVCA students totake additional Honors or AP courses through concurrentenrollment at Davis Senior High School. Students andfamilies have continual access to course content andcourse progress through Echo, ourschool’s Learning Management System.

School Profile 2019-2020

DVCA Students As a school of choice, a wide variety of studentsselect DVCA for their education. While their interestsrange from Computer Science to the Arts toEngineering, the uniting factor is that each student isvalued and accepted as a member of the community.There are no academic requirements for admissionwith the exception that students must not be creditdeficient and must adhere to the attendanceexpectations of 96% or better. Applications foradmission must be submitted by the mid-Marchdeadline. Application information is available on ourwebsite. DVCA students value the opportunity to express theirvoice and make choices about their learning. DVCAteachers work with students within projects to furthertheir interests and aptitudes. Year after year, throughclimate surveys, students rank relationships with theirpeers and DVCA staff far above comparable schools.Most DVCA students go on to two or four-yearcolleges. Recent post-secondary destinations includeColumbia University, Cal Poly Pomona, SacramentoState University, Oberlin College, Grinnell College,UC Santa Cruz, and Stanford University. Da Vinciremains committed to its core mission of graduatingstudents that are prepared for college or career in the21st century.

College & Career Readiness

Academics

Enrollment

DVCA endeavors to prepare students for the complexdemands of the 21st Century. Students cangain career experience and credits through an internshipunder the guidance of our Internship Coordinator.Seniors interested in vocational careers can receivepaid work experience through the Harbor FreightFellowship program. Da Vinci has developed CareerTechnical Education (CTE) Pathways in Software &Systems Development and Design, Media & Visual Arts.Each of these CTE Pathways prepares students forentry-level work and/or advanced college programs. DaVinci students can co-enroll in Sac City classes on theDVCA campus or at the Sac City Davis Campus. Inaddition to showing competency in course content, DaVinci students demonstrate their learning through ourseven school-wide learning outcomes (SLO’s). Byemphasizing these SLO"s, the DVCA curriculum buildsopportunities for students to develop importantemployment and life skills such as collaboration,communication, self-management and critical thinking.

DVCA’s total enrollment for 2019-2020 is 610 studentsin grades 7-12. The Junior High enrollment is 300 andthe High School is 310 students. Roughly, 55% of ourstudents are male and 45% are female. The studentbody consists of 63% white/non-Hispanic, 20% Latino,11% Asian, 2% African American, and 4% are listed asother. Approximately, 17% of our students aresocioeconomically disadvantaged. At the Junior High43% of students are enrolled from outside of DJUSDand the High School enrolls 28% of its students fromoutside of DJUSD.