Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Middle School Reconfiguration topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District outlines middle‑school reconfiguration, targets 2028–29 implementation
Summary
Los Altos district staff presented a planning update to move sixth grade to a middle‑school model, citing declining enrollment and instructional aims; trustees and community members asked for more local data and clear outcome metrics.
Los Altos School District staff on Monday described early planning to reconfigure the district so sixth graders would attend middle schools rather than remaining at elementary campuses, with officials aiming for a 2028–29 implementation timeline.
Greg Drummond, the district’s director of teaching and learning, told trustees the team is concentrating first on instructional vision and adolescent development and will use research and community feedback to shape concrete program and scheduling decisions. "Our big goal for kids is that they develop a sense of agency," Drummond said, framing the effort as a response to developmental needs of pre‑ and early‑adolescents.
Why it matters: Trustees and staff said the planning is driven not only by pedagogical research but also by local operational realities. Several trustees cited declining elementary enrollment and the district’s limited ability to provide consistent electives and specialized instruction under current schedules as practical reasons to consider the shift.
Questions from trustees and the public focused on evidence and outcomes. One trustee urged the team to “start with outcomes and move backwards,” asking for clear targets and measures that would show whether the middle‑school model improves equity, engagement and academic outcomes. Community members also sought effect‑size evidence for specific program attributes and asked how the district will measure success.
Drummond said the current phase remains high level — focused on vision and the developmental needs of adolescents — and that design work on staffing, schedules and specific structures will come next year. "We're working on designing specifically for adolescent learners," he said, noting that the planning team includes junior‑high teachers, sixth‑grade teachers and principals and will solicit input from teachers, students and families.
Board members emphasized the timeline and next steps. The district said it will continue the planning work, involve stakeholders, and return with more detailed proposals and data as the process advances toward the 2028–29 target.
The meeting transcript shows no formal decision was adopted on reconfiguration at this session; the item was presented as an update and the board directed staff to continue planning and community engagement.
