Diversity & Equity at PCS

Pacific Collegiate School (PCS) is committed to recruiting and sustaining a student population that reflects the diversity of Santa Cruz County, with specific focus on student demographics of the Santa Cruz City high-school districts. These populations include communities where there are differences in socioeconomic level; race; ethnicity; culture; religion; gender identity; sexual orientation, and learning abilities.

PCS values a student population that reflects the diversity of Santa Cruz County in many respects including demographic, socioeconomic, ethnic, cultural, religious, gender identities, sexual orientation and disabled communities. In broad terms, a diverse PCS school community serves two important purposes:

(1) it demonstrates equal access for all community constituencies to a high-quality, standards-based, college preparatory and fine arts education that seeks to prepare its graduates to enter and thrive at the world’s finest colleges and universities, and

(2) it stimulates the school’s academic/pedagogic perspective to encourage PCS students to engage and understand all community constituencies as they learn to assume leadership roles in their chosen fields.

PCS initially adopted a five-year Diversity Plan in 2006 as a “living document” to provide a conceptual background for issues relating to school diversity, demonstrate an intention to take a variety of steps to diversify the school, and provide an itemized agenda to guide the actions of the school over the following years. The Plan has been updated every five years to include an assessment of the progress PCS has made as well as new ideas for fostering diversity at the school.

Summary of 2016-2020 Diversity Action Plan

• Improve Outreach Efforts. The Outreach Coordinator will develop a new and comprehensive outreach plan, continue the successful after-school tutoring partnership with Barrios Unidos, explore the possibility of expanding the opportunities for such tutoring partnerships, and work in collaboration with the PCS Communications & Marketing Task Force/Committee to shift public perception of diversity at PCS.

• Build an Inclusive and Supportive School Culture. The Diversity Committee will create a data collection subcommittee focused on assessing the needs of First-to-College (FTC) students and families with the goal of ensuring and improving FTC student retention, consider establishing a parent advisory committee, invite one or two students annually to serve on the committee, work to ensure all PCS materials are accessible in both English and Spanish and available in electronic and print format and are clear regarding financial contributions, consider additional programs for student support, and promote diversity through student leadership opportunities.

• Recruit Diverse School Leadership. The Diversity Committee will recruit a diverse board, faculty/staff, and committee members for the development and maintenance of a PCS student population reflective of our community’s demographics.

• Expand Data Collection and Assessment. PCS will continue to improve upon methods and standards of gathering data for the purpose of assessing the needs of its ethnically diverse and First-to-College population in order to provide concise and effective support.

For more details, please see the full Pacific Collegiate School Diversity Status Report and Action Plan (2016-2020).