Welcome!
The Novato High community collaborates to provide our students the opportunity to achieve academic success in an environment that promotes wellness, and the skills to access post-secondary options. This dedicated group of stakeholders sustains a safe and supportive environment for all students. The teaching staff delivers personalized learning in concert with student interests. The teachers and counselors attend athletic and student performances which promotes positive rapport with students which connects students to the school community. The Novato High teachers focus on effective pedagogy, essential standards and student feedback to improve student outcomes.
School Profile
Novato High School is a high-performing academic institution with a six-year WASC Accreditation. We offer an array of excellent programs, supports, clubs, and activities to develop the skills and interests of our young future leaders. Our entire staff is dedicated to meeting the diverse needs of our students and the greater community through innovation, the pursuit of excellence, and rigorous review of student data using the latest trends in education.
We aim to create a rigorous, relevant, authentic learning experience for all students, with support for career pathways and special interests. Home to MSA (Marin School of the Arts), we have over 500 students each year studying Theatre Arts, Music Theatre, Dance, Vocal Music, Creative Writing, Visual Arts, and Cinema. We also offer a Medical Careers Pathway, now in its fourth year, which provides a foundation for Medical Careers for 30+ students/year.
School Purpose Statement
Novato High believes in fostering a creative and inclusive community where we work together to actively grow, access experiences, and create our own authentic paths.
Our Vision
At Novato High School will promote a life-long passion for learning that inspires our students to challenge, create and think in a 21st-century global society. Novato High School graduates will meet the Graduate Profile indicators or “6C’s”:
Last Year, at Novato High…
- We educated a total of 1,433 students.
- The senior class had 354 seniors enrolled for the school year.
- Of our students, 39.7% came from socio-economically disadvantaged homes.
- 8.8% of our students were considered “English Language Learners.”
- Our graduation rate was 93.2%
- Approximately 61% of our students graduated having fulfilled the A-G requirements for UC admission per Data Matters.
- 100% of our teaching staff was fully credentialed and CLAD certified.
- All new teachers participated in the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment program, meeting monthly for lunch with an administrator to cover topics such as grading, culture, and working with parents.
Diversity
We have an especially diverse student body and believe that greatly enriches our community. Our team works hard to provide a safe and nurturing learning environment where all students can thrive, whatever their individual needs, abilities, backgrounds and economic circumstances.
Student Support
Various programs are made available to support students’ success and prevent dropouts, including Tutoring, Homework Club, Leadership Opportunities, Parent Support, Counseling, Drug and Alcohol Intervention, Bilingual Tutoring, and joint PTSA/ELAC and PSP Parent training, Social/Emotional Support, and a mandatory tutorial afterschool program for all football athletes. Student supports include:
Programs
Advanced Placement (AP) Classes
Novato High offers an extraordinary variety of Advanced Placement (AP) courses for those students seeking to qualify for college credit. Juniors and seniors achieving a score of three, four, or five on any final AP exam qualify for college credit at most of the nation’s colleges. The number of AP classes offered at the school has increased steadily over the last three years, with 7 AP US History courses full to capacity during the school year 2019-20 due to demand from grade 11 students.
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Marin School of the Arts (MSA)
The Marin School of the Arts (MSA) is a specialized program at Novato High School offering students who are passionate about the arts the benefits of a traditional high school with strong academics combined with college-level arts training. MSA features instruction in visual, writing, and performance domains, and brings professional working artists to teach master classes and work with individuals. Student artists take two periods of their chosen domain each day and regularly perform at regional and state competitions. MSA students attend all NHS regular academic classes and participate in sports, clubs and social events as desired. MSA enrollment comprises 35 percent of the overall Novato High School student body.
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Medical Career Pathways (MCP)
The medical field continues to be one of the fastest-growing industries in the 21st century, and Novato High’s Medical Careers Pathway (MCP) program prepares students with the academic, social, and professional skills needed to be college and career-ready in the medical fields.
Students are introduced to a wide variety of healthcare careers and topics, follow a rigorous and college-articulated curriculum, and gain exposure to leadership opportunities including community networking, job shadowing, student research, field trips, and community service.
Students take classes at both Novato High and College of Marin beginning in the 9th-grade year, and earn college credit and a Certificate of Achievement from COM.
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College Preparation
The Novato High College and Career Center helps ensure the success of each student while preparing them for life after high school. All students have Naviance accounts and can use this online tool to research careers and post-secondary education, make and review their four-year plans, and use the Common Application for the college admission process. A variety of colleges, vocational schools, and military representatives make campus presentations for students during the school day to introduce students to career and post-secondary pathways.
Athletics
Novato High offers 25 competitive sports sanctioned by the California Interscholastic Federation. In 2020, the school added three eSports teams in Spring and three more teams in Fall 2020. Sports include…
Baseball
Boys Basketball
Girls Basketball
Cheer & Dance
Cross Country
eSports
Football
Boys Golf
Girls Golf
Boys Lacrosse
Girls Lacrosse
Boys Soccer
Girls Soccer
Softball
Swimming & Diving
Boys Tennis
Girls Tennis
Track & Field
Boys Volleyball
Girls Volleyball
Water Polo
Wrestling
Clubs & Activities
Novato High is proud to offer a rich assortment of co-curricular and extracurricular activities to suit different interests. The Associated Student Body (ASB) is composed of elected student leaders representing all four grades and they have a daily class period to plan events. They organize student dances, the club fair, and school-wide rallies throughout the school year. Classes compete for spirit points all year as a way to promote class unity as well as overall school spirit. Incoming 9th graders are welcomed to NHS through the student-led Link Crew program that hosts an orientation before the start of school. Student Link Crew leaders mentor 9th graders all year and offer academic check-ins and text message encouragement and reminders. A new club the Dreamers’ Club, is for newcomers and undocumented students, whose purpose is to build community, offer a safe place to get information, plan and ask questions. Current clubs include:
Activism Club
Applied Math Club
Black Student Union
Bring Change 2 Mind
Children For Change
Comics Creators (CC)
Cultural Culinary
Dreamers Club
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
Garden Club
Instructional Drawing Club
Interact Club
Letters of Love
Mock Trial
Novato Youth Advocates Club
SAGA
Surf Rider Foundation
Rocket League
League of Legends
Parent Engagement
Novato High School believes that parental involvement in students’ academic and social progress is as important in high school as in elementary and middle school. We encourage and welcome parent suggestions and recommendations for ongoing school improvement. We invite parent participation and support to sustain and augment all of our programs. Hundreds of parents and community members support Novato High School in many different and valuable ways. Volunteers participate with ASB Leadership, School Site Council, Student Advisory Council, Parent-Teacher-Student Association, MSA Boosters, Music Boosters, Dance Boosters, Sports Boosters, ELAC, and Academic Boosters. Parents serve as volunteers on field trips, at music and athletic events; they raise funds for programs; sponsor Safe Grad night; beautify the school and much more.
Facilities
Novato High School (NHS) is located in the heart of Novato. Built in 1957, the school is the older of two comprehensive high schools in the Novato Unified School District. The campus spreads across 38 acres, with a total of 56 classrooms and labs, two gymnasiums, a performing arts center, five computer labs, a library, a dance studio, a weight room, and an innovative new multimedia production studio. Outdoor facilities include tennis courts, basketball courts, softball and baseball diamonds, a football stadium, a soccer field, and a swimming pool.
The school’s library provides an extensive variety of reference and special interest materials, in addition to hundreds of educational and recreational books, and has computer workstations for student research.
In 2020, Novato High added a brand new state-of-the-art Science Center with 10 luxurious classrooms. We are now in the process of building a new cork turf baseball and softball field and a 100-yard practice cork turf facility for all athletics teams. Near those new fields, we will have a new Performance Arts Center completed in the beginning of Winter 2021.
Technology Resources
Students have been issued personal Chromebooks as part of the One-to-World technology initiative. All classrooms have access to wireless internet. Computer skills and concepts are integrated throughout standard curriculum which helps to prepare students for technological growth and other opportunities. Students receive instruction in computer applications, systems, multimedia, video production, MSA Film, digital arts, graphic design and computer applications. Each department also has its own Chromebook cart of 40 devices; larger departments have two Chromebook carts. In addition, with funding from Measure G, the “One to World” project enabled NUSD to distribute Chromebooks to all students in grades 3 through 12.
