The College Access Program (CAP) is unique to Woodside High School and further Closes the Equity Gap! CAP is the school's new, innovative college-preparatory program launched last school year in Fall 2022 by generous donations to the Foundation. It provides college campus tours, test prep, college essay coaching, and career expos at no-cost to students. College-preparatory programs, like CAP, are cost-prohibitive to purchase privately and are not accessible by many school families. 

This program is funded for three years through the 2024-2025 school year by generous donations totaling almost $500,000 from school families and community donors.  Without these donations and Foundation funding, CAP would not exist. We are seeking more permanent funding through our annual fundraising and large private donations to keep it going into 2025 and beyond.

College Access Program Details

 

College Campus Tours

  • NorCal College Campus Tours  (All Freshman, All Juniors)

  • SoCal College Trip (50 Juniors)

  • SoCal 1st Gen College Trips (Sophomores + Juniors)

  • Community College Tours (Sophomores + Up)

 

Standardized Test Prep

  • SAT + ACT 7-Week Test Prep Course (All Juniors)

  • PSAT Boot-Camp (Sophomores Completing Alg 2)*

 

College Essay Coaching + College List Advice 

  • College Essay Coaching  (All Juniors) 

  •  Balanced College List Creation (All Juniors) 

 

Career Exploration 

  • Career Expo (All Grades)*

  • Career Day TED Style Talks (All Seniors)

  • Job Shadow (225 Sophomores + Up)*

 “It was a really nice experience getting to see the college campuses, learning more about the college itself through the tour guides and the size of the school…. I would not have gotten this experience…. Not having to pay for this experience was really a big bonus for me.”   — Nathalie Vazquez, Class of 2024, on her College Campus Visits

“The tutor/mentor really helped me along the way…I was able to send my essays to them, my PIQs (personal interest questions), and snippets of what I wanted to add. They were able to send feedback - very descriptive feedback - and I was able to implement edits that really helped me….They were very helpful,” — Drake Phillips, Class of 2023, on College Essay Coaching

Benefits of CAP

  • Gives students access to college prep programs not otherwise available to them

  • More students will go to a four-year college or preferred college

  • Inspires some to dream bigger 

  • Motivates others to work harder

  • Reduces stress and supports students during the application process

  • Improves application quality

  • Allows College Center to focus on aid and deeper counseling 

  • Improves school’s reputation & standing statewide & nationally

“It is vital!
(CAP) has been life changing and 
transformative for students 
and the entire school community,”
— says Principal van Putten

Answers to FAQs

What other “college prep-type programming” does WHS offer through school and district funding?

District Funded: The district funds two College Counselors who work in the College + Career Center. The district also funds Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), which is an in-school academic support program for select students focused on college eligibility and success who would not be supported in this manner otherwise. 

Privately Funded: Thanks to a multi-year gift from one generous donor, the Woodside High School Foundation funds one additional College & Career Advisor who oversees CAP. This additional counselor brings the total to three advisors working in the College + Career Center.  There is also private funding for all students to take the PSAT at no-cost to the students. Lastly, the PTSA funds a College Information Night.  


Why does the Woodside High School Foundation need to raise money for CAP? 

Without private funding, CAP will not continue to exist. Unfortunately, donations to the Foundation’s Annual Campaign do not cover the College Access Program costs … yet!  We are confident that over time our Annual Campaign fundraising will increase and cover CAP costs, but we are not there yet. 


Remind me, what does the Annual Campaign fund currently? 

Over time, we expect Annual Campaign fundraising to grow and cover CAP costs. Currently, donations to the Foundation Annual Campaign support these vital academic programs: 

  •  20% Class Size Reduction in core academic classes

  • Expanded Electives and the additional 7th period

  • Summer Acceleration Programs

  • Additional Mental Health Counseling

  • Classroom Tools + Technology costs

In addition to the Annual Campaign donations, we also have large, multi-year donations that fund: 

  • One additional Guidance Counselor

  • One additional College Counselor


Who manages and oversees CAP at Woodside High School and is responsible for its success?

  • Principal van Putten currently oversees the program strategy to ensure it gets up-and-running well. The College + Career Center will absorb more responsibility for CAP over time. 

  • Outside college experts and vendors run specialty programs within CAP to make sure our programming is best-in-class.  Outside vendors also charge a per student and/or group fee, allowing the school to flex programming based on student need. 

    • ObiCoach for Essay Coaching + Balanced College List Creation

    • AJ Tutoring for Test Preparation

    • Various travel companies for campus trips

  • Woodside High School Foundation has appointed a Board Member to be the liaison between the College Access Program and the donor community.