James Hammen

Education has been one of Guadalupe Centers’ foundational programs throughout most of its history. In the late 1980s, the focus on education moved from providing English classes to adults and preschool programming to addressing the educational needs of young Latino students who were dropping out of the city’s public schools. Alta Vista, now Guadalupe Centers High School, was established as an alternative education program focused on dropout prevention. From the 15 students who started in the basement of a neighborhood church, the program has grown to become one of the established charter school systems in the city, serving over 1500 students in Pre-kindergarten through high school. Expanding on the success of its High School, Guadalupe Educational System added a middle school in 2010 and opened an elementary program in 2012. The still-developing elementary school is adding a new cohort of 80 kindergartners each year. 2017-2018 represents a milestone when GCCS will serve the full Pre-K grade range. Additionally, in the past year, Guadalupe Centers has undergone a branding initiative to consolidate its image, recasting the schools’ names to Guadalupe Centers Preschool, Guadalupe Centers Elementary School, Guadalupe Centers Middle School, and Guadalupe Centers High School.