Novato High School (NHS) is located in the heart of the city of Novato thirty miles north of San Francisco along Highway 101. The entire staff at Novato High School is dedicated to meeting the diverse needs of the students and the greater community through innovation, the pursuit of excellence and rigorous review of student data using the latest trends in education.
The school, built in 1955, is the older of two comprehensive high schools in the Novato Unified School District. Novato High School is situated on a thirty-eight-acre site, with a total of fifty-six classrooms and labs, two gymnasiums, a performing arts center, five computer labs, library, dance studio, weight room, and innovative new Production Studio. Outdoor facilities include tennis courts, brand new turf softball and baseball fields to be completed by November 2019, a football stadium, a soccer field, a swimming pool and a new dance studio.
To meet the increasingly diverse needs of the student population, a comprehensive academic program is offered including a variety of college preparatory courses, Honors and Advanced Placement classes, extensive Fine and Performing Arts programs, and comprehensive Industrial Arts courses. The school curriculum includes the award-winning Air Force Junior ROTC program, which provides a curriculum focused on aerospace and science.
Novato High is home to the multi-award winning Marin School of the Arts (MSA) magnet academy. Although only in its eighth year, MSA has already earned many hundreds of honors and distinctions including winning the 2007 California School Board Association, State Golden Bell Award for Outstanding Visual and Performing Arts Program. The program has steadily grown in enrollment from 115 students in year one to its current projected enrollment of 450 students. As the program has grown, so has its development of new innovative curriculum and classes. MSA features a number of new AP/Honors courses and arts classes. Novato High School and MSA celebrate continued academic success. CAASPP comparisons between school districts show that MSA students are among the highest achieving students in the county of Marin.
Novato High provides an array of student support services to ensure success for those students who require additional resources. Support services include a comprehensive Special Education program with five teachers and five aides. The Special Education staff meets regularly to discuss specific student needs, and to identify ways of further supporting the student population that requires special services. Our newly restructured comprehensive ELD program utilizes a developing curriculum that allows students to move through various levels as they strengthen their language skills.
Novato High School benefits from a rich tradition of extensive parent involvement. This is evidenced by the Marin School of the Arts (MSA) Boosters, Sports Boosters, English Language Advisory Committee (ELAC), Parent Teacher Student Association(PTSA), Drama Boosters, Equity Teams and Teacher Leadership Team (TLT).