A 2009 California Distinguished School, Mills is one of seven high schools in the San Mateo Unified School District, and Mills High students are from the entire school district. The California Department of Education ranked Mills High #1 in San Mateo County. In 2009, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges granted Mills a 6-year accreditation.
Mills prides itself in its high academic achievement. They offer many AP courses and about 70 percent of graduates meet UC/CSU eligibility requirements. The 1129 combined Math/Verbal average SAT score is above both the SMUSD and California. The Career Center offers free SAT preparatory courses.
Mills is also the only school in the district to enter an international robotics competition and received a NASA award in 2004 for outstanding animation. The Mills Robotic Team, founded in 1997, is comprised of about 50 students and 8 teachers and allows students to immerse themselves in topics not typically covered in the regular high school curriculum, such as engineering, business and design.
The high school is undergoing construction that will create an 8-lane new track field, a renovated science building, visual arts building, cafeteria, a tech & biotech area and a wood shop. The projects are on track to be completed by the Fall of 2010.
Starting in 2006, Mills changed their schedule from six periods to seven to allow students to complete graduation requirements more easily. On Monday, Thursday and Friday, students attend all periods. Tuesday and Wednesday they attend odd and even periods, respectively.
Mills is 51 percent Asian and 13 percent Latino, 38 percent of students speak another language at home.
There are many programs that help nurture a parent/student/teacher relationship:
- Mills Parent Teachers Organization (PTO)
- Mills Music Association Group (MMAG)
- African American students attending the annual Black College Fair Back-To-School Night Open House Assessment
- Fair Kids Learning Empathy and Respect (KLEAR)
- Students Organized Against Prejudice (SOAP)
Principal Paul Belzer can be reached at 650-558-2500 and a full contact list can be viewed here.