This school year marks the 20th anniversary of Gateway Public Schools, a model public school organization that serves nearly 800 public school students each year through Gateway Middle School and Gateway High School, both in San Francisco’s Western Addition.
Over the past twenty years, Gateway has positively impacted the lives of more than 2,750 San Francisco students with the support of the entire San Francisco community and the belief that every young person is capable of achieving their dreams.
Gateway was founded in 1998 by a group of parents who dreamed of creating a school that would be a gateway to college for all students regardless of access, income, or learning style. Twenty years later, Gateway consistently sends more than 96% of each graduating class to college, prepared to take on the rigors of university-level coursework.
Deeply committed to educational equity and the community, Gateway meets each student where they are, believing in the potential of every young person and acknowledging the education gap that exists between low-income students and their more privileged peers.
Gateway offers onsite and in classroom college counseling, a learning center with support services and learning tools, internship and job placement, intensive Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) programming, and extensive support and professional development for teachers.
In addition to helping students achieve their dreams, Gateway’s track record of success has positioned the organization to make a significant impact on the future of public education by demonstrating that public education can and does work for diverse learners, sharing best practices, and serving as a catalyst for change within the public sphere through initiatives aimed at supporting all public school teachers like Gateway Impact and The Career Stages Model.
“Year after year, Gateway’s diverse group of students and faculty are thriving. Our success over the past twenty years would not have been possible without the support of our amazing teachers, administrators, students and families, and the San Francisco community,” says Sharon Olken, Executive Director, Gateway Public Schools.
Gateway invites its families, friends, and community members to celebrate two decades of impact on public education during a series of events, activities, and opportunities planned throughout the year. Visit www.gatewayps.org/20years to learn more. Gateway’s mission is to prepare a broad range of learners for success in college and beyond by combining a rigorous academic program with an approach where the individual talents, strengths and needs of our learners are identified and supported.