Delta Charter High School provides high school students who have struggled in the traditional education system, with the opportunity to graduate. Situated on the Cabrillo College campus, Delta works in collaboration with the community college to create bridges to post-secondary education following graduation.

Delta strives to make education relevant to young people who have not found success in traditional high schools. With an average annual enrollment of 90 students, Delta School offers a highly supportive, yet academically challenging, environment with a 1:18 teacher/student ratio.

Delta High School was founded in 1994 by a group of Santa Cruz County business leaders concerned about California’s rising drop out rate. Delta works in partnership with Cabrillo Community College and Santa Cruz City Schools District. The school provides an environment where teens work with adults in an atmosphere of trust and responsibility to develop personal accountability and life skills. Students are able to overcome past academic failures, graduate from high school and gain employment and economic independence. All students are given the tools to become successful in the college environment, if that is the path they choose.

Delta believes that quality education is the answer to the health and well-being of its individual students and to the community at large. Delta demonstrates how an academically challenging and supportive environment can make extraordinary changes in the lives of teenagers. Students who enter Delta leave with a sense of accomplishment and purpose, confident in their ability to succeed, and excited about their future.

Santa Cruz City Schools is Delta’s chartering agency. As such, it disperses state funds to Delta based on the school’s daily attendance, (ADA). It also provides administrative oversight for special state education funding identified for instructional materials, equipment, and special education services.