Castle High School School Improvement Status

Summary of Progress

Castle High School was accredited by WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) in April 2023.

There were many identified strengths:

1. The school’s leadership makes intentional decisions to support all learners and provide a meaningful environment for academic and socio-emotional growth.
2. CHS is focused on the transition process from middle to high school, academically and socially by collaborating with feeder schools and implementing Freshmen Academy.
3. CHS maintains and builds new community partnerships.
4. Project Based Learning experiences to measure deep learning and authentic demonstrations of standards.
5. Castle teachers use a variety of formative and summative assessments to monitor student growth across contents.
6. Strong sense of school and academy pride.
7. CHS has high expectations for students’ behavior and learning within a culture that fosters community togetherness and addresses individual differences and diversity.
8. Academy teachers work in concert to provide student support through systems such as RTI and designated meetings.
9. There is evidence of a healthy school culture.
10. Numerous options to explore interests are available for all students
11. Personalized student support through RTI within the academies, MTSS, HERO, and the Academy structure are in place.

CHS has continued to provide all students a greater opportunity to be successful post-high school. To address this, Castle has shifted to wall to wall college and career academies aligned to high demand, high wage, high skill jobs in Hawaii. Within the academies there is an intentional focus on rigorous academic standards, real time work-based learning opportunities, and strengthening the employability skills that are highly desired in a global society. Castle has also aligned its college and career pathways with post-secondary certifications and degrees within the UH System. In addition, the school has partnered with Windward Community College (WCC) to provide dual credit courses where students earn college and high school credits during the school year. Castle offers college courses on campus taught by WCC instructors. Castle continues to work with community partners who directly support nine career pathways.

In order to improve achievement in all areas, the school is continuing to work on the following:

1. Leveraging reading, math, and science proficiency through direct application of skills within the academy pathways and increasing authentic, place-based learning experiences using project based learning.
2. Increase graduation rate. Castle's Freshman Academy works diligently to reinforce on time promotion of 9th graders. All academies meet weekly in academy meetings to monitor student progress to ensure students are on track to graduate on time. Counselors work with academy teachers to document student progress implementing a 10 year transition plan beginning in 9th grade Freshman Seminar.
3. Continue to explore career readiness needs to examine other avenues beyond college realms such as trade schools, federal jobs, state jobs, city/county working jobs that enhance students’ skills, passion, and purpose.
4. All students demonstrate they are on a path toward success in college, career and citizenship. The school continues to promote career readiness and college through the Learning Thru Internships Program, AVID, the College & Career continuum, Advisory classes, and its College and Career Center.