The GATE program in the Western Placer Unified School District is designed to offer a variety of curriculum and program choices to GATE-identified elementary, middle and high school students and their families. Program offerings can be found both during the school day and after school.
For information on our annual GATE/HA (High Achiever) Parent Information Night, click here.
Elementary Level
During the school day, special day classes are available to GATE students at the elementary level.
The Elementary Academy is a self-contained program, offering a third-grade class and a combination fourth/fifth grade class to GATE and qualifying High Achieving students. This magnet program is located at First Street School and draws students from around the district. The program offers enrichments, acceleration and advancements to the standard grade-level curriculum, as well as the infusion of world languages and music during the school day.
Also available at the elementary level are more traditional cluster programs - concentrating GATE students in small groups in a regular heterogeneous classroom at the students' home schools, but differentiating the curriculum to meet their needs. Through the cluster programs, students may work on advanced levels of mathematics or reading, while staying involved in the regular classroom programs.
For more information on the Elementary Academy, click here: EnglishSpanish
Middle School Level
At the middle school level, the GATE program is divided between the traditional differentiated curriculum approach in the classroom and the Honors Academy, a magnet GATE program located at Glen Edwards Middle School.
The traditional approach offers unique opportunities for group and project work through GATE-trained teachers at both Twelve Bridges Middle School and Glen Edwards Middle School.
The Performing Arts Academy at Glen Edwards emphasizes the arts as a core in its study of language arts, social sciences, science and mathematics. Students with an interest in performing arts are encouraged to enroll in this program. This is a multi-age academy in which cohort groups of 6th, 7th and 8th grade GATE and High Achiever students are scheduled together by grade. These academy students have the option of continuing in the academy for three years.
For more information on the Performing Arts Academy, click here: English Spanish
For an application to the Performing Arts Academy, click here: EnglishSpanish
High School Level
The final level of our GATE program is presented at the high school. There our GATE students, as well as our High-Achieving students, are involved in both Honors and Advanced Placement classes. These courses may offer students the opportunity to gain college credit for work done in high school. In some cases, the coursework may be offered at a local community college or in an online format. Advanced Honors and AP classes include Honors English, Honors Biology, AP English LIterature, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics, AP U.S. History, AP World History, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Spanish, and AP Computer Science. Lincoln High School also offers a number of online AP classes including: AP U.S. Government, AP French, AP Art History, AP Environmental Science, AP European History, AP Psychology, AP Macro Economics, and AP Micro Economics.
After-School Offerings
W-PEPShort-Term Programs
At all grade levels, after-school opportunities are periodically available as budgets permit to students through W-PEP -- the Western Placer Enrichment Program. The W-PEP program is intended to provide opportunities for students to go beyond their classroom studies and delve more deeply into areas that interest them. Through W-PEP, teachers offer short-term after-school programs in such areas as Forensics, Sign Language or Video Editing.
Long-Term Nationally-Recognized Programs
Also sponsored through GATE, the following nationally-recognized programs are available at sites throughout the district. Parents are encouraged to team with local administration to develop these programs at schools where they may not yet be offered.
For more information about the GATE programs in WesternPlacerUnifiedSchool District, contact Mary Boyle, Deputy Superintendent of Educational Services.
For California Department of Education GATE information, please click here.
For Frequently Asked Questions regarding GATE funding in view of current California budget challenges, please click here.
For the WPUSD GATE Program Application to the California State Department of Education, please click here.
