Monterey High School Becomes First International Baccalaureate World High School in Monterey County

Monterey High School Becomes First

International Baccalaureate World High School in Monterey County

(Interviews and classroom walks available prior to Open House)

Monterey, CA - Monterey High School in the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District was recently authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IB) as an IB World High School offering the Middle Years Programme.

“This is an exciting time for our community,” said Principal Thomas Newton, Monterey High School. “In 2015, we were challenged to reimagine what our high school could be and our cadre of teachers and staff stepped up to apply for IB candidacy. This was not a process to take lightly as it took incredible work to adjust our practices and implement an entire school framework that would give our students an opportunity to challenge themselves through inquiry-based learning while also helping them understand how they can impact their world locally and globally.”

The IB Middle Years Programme is a holistic program influencing the way teachers teach and students learn. The program is based on learning through inquiry, and students are challenged to discover and create through their own agency.

Monterey High School applied for candidacy in 2017 and was designated a candidate school for the past two years (2017-18 and 2018-19). During this timeframe the school shifted its philosophy and way of teaching to align to the IB standards and practices. Under an IB model, not only do students learn about their place in the world and how they can affect the local and global community, but they become collaborators alongside their teachers in their education. Teachers become facilitators and students are ultimately driving their own learning. The IB model offers a much deeper focus on standards-based and skill-based learning, and features authentic assessment based on student growth and mastery.

The school had a site visitation in November 2018 to verify that the IB standards and practices were taking place, and was notified in February 2019 that it was formally authorized.

“It’s an honor to be recognized as the only IB World high school in the entire county,” said Dr. PK Diffenbaugh, Superintendent, Monterey Peninsula Unified School District. “The Monterey High staff is to be commended for the diligence and hard work that went into this authorization process.”

Monterey High School will hold an Open House on April 18 from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. and students will be displaying their Middle Years Program Personal Project which is the culminating activity for the program in the 10th grade. The community is invited to attend the Open House to learn more about our IB World high school status, and see student work.

# # #