Options Secondary School

Posted: August 4, 2023

This school is a hidden gem. My daughter is struggling with social anxiety as a result of COVID-19 online classes but a very bright student. It was hard to see her avoid our neighborhood school because it was a huge campus. After trying this school she fell in love with it. Every single staff is very supportive in helping my child. I recommend this school for kids that don't like the huge campus environment because it has tremendously helped my child.

Posted: August 4, 2023

Posted: August 4, 2023

Posted: August 4, 2023

Posted: August 4, 2023

Posted: August 4, 2023

Posted: August 4, 2023

Posted: August 4, 2023

Posted: January 9, 2022

I entered this school in 2011 wanting to drop out of high school. Options secondary small class environment and caring teachers allowed me to the confidence in myself to want to continue going to school complete my Bachelor of Arts and pursue a graduate degree. I am so grateful for this school and I would not have had such success without them.

Posted: January 9, 2022

Posted: September 2, 2014

I'm a graduate of this school, and I fully believe it was absolutely the best possible thing for me. The small class sizes ensured the teachers were approachable, and the education was personal. The late starting time kept me from falling asleep during classes that would normally be at 7 or 8 am (which is a common thing for teenagers). In addition, the 100 minute classes ensured there was time for in depth learning, as opposed to 30 minutes of material, and the 15 minutes of unrest at the beginnings and ends of each class period in traditional schools. All of the staff were incredibly supportive of my education, even as a student who had disciplinary issues, who would have been lost in a crowd at a larger school. I sincerely hope this school can continue to be the fantastic resource it was for me, and turn around the lives of many more kids like myself.

Posted: February 2, 2014

(Pg.2) Continuing my review, this is a great school for every student. The only problem that I can currently find at this school is that there are not enough ap, honors, or elective classes. This problem, however, is not much the fault of the school. There are not enough teachers to teach those courses or enough room in the classrooms. The district also restricts the school from being able to fix some of these problems. Luckily, the school has found a solution which is to have a contract with a nearby school to take a class that they offer that this school could not have. This school has a schedule from 12:15 to 5:55 pm which is better for the students because by that time the student's brain is fully functional and ready to learn which is later reflected positively on the students grades, or at least those who make an effort. There have been reviews that say that students are not allowed to walk around in public in the morning but they can, however, the only way that they can is by carrying their school I.D. card and showing it to a police officer if they are stopped so that they don't run the risk of being arrested for truancy. This school has great staff members. (Erika)

Posted: August 9, 2013

Considering enrollment in Options Secondary School? (aka. The Portal) UPDATE: In spring of 2013, the City of Chula Vista revised its Municipal Code 9.09.030 (Truancy) which affects minors who are enrolled in public school. Although the city still maintains its 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM daytime curfew on school days, the ordinance no longer applies to "alternative" students who are NOT truant. For students enrolled in Options Secondary School, this means that you are NOT in violation of this ordinance if you are NOT CONSIDERED TRUANT FROM YOUR SCHOOL. The police may still stop and question you during these hours, so remain pleasant and cooperative. If you are a pedestrian (and not on your school's campus,) you are NOT REQUIRED to show either your school ID or a state-issued ID to the police. DO give your name and address and the name of your school to the officer and let him know that it is an "alternative" school which is not in session, and therefore you are not considered truant. The officer may decide to call the school or the school district to confirm your information, but if it all checks out you will probably be free to leave. Best of luck!

Posted: August 8, 2013

A great school. It offers small class size of about 27/1 for more hands on teaching environment. The portal caters to grades 7 thru 12. Before coming to this school my daughter was constantly teased and bullied. She was in the IEP program getting below proficiency grades. At the Portal the bulling stopped, her grades went up to A and B with overall grade point average of 3.07. She no longer needs to be enrolled in the IEP program. Now my daughter is happy and looks forward to school. I asked my daughter this morning if she would like to join the ASB. She is giving it consideration. The program structure at this school resembles that of a charter school with a full 6 year WASC accreditation and a-g courses required for collage/university enrolment along with Academic scholarship program for enrolment at UCSD. Classes are held in the afternoon. It is my opinion that this helps kids by keeping them busy, focused and away from negative influences in the community. I would like to mention that this school is an alterative school so it accepts enrollment from outside Chula Vista. Many kids come from Imperial Beach, San Ysidro, National City, South San Diego, and surrounding areas.

Posted: February 6, 2013

my daughter has been attending Options Secondary/Sails for 5 years she will be graduating school this (2013) She started 7th grade in another scholol by the second week she felt overwhelmed by so many students in one class and was being bullied. To this day i have no regrets she has had very good teachers and kids do learn more in a 2 hour class. As a parent I am satisfied with the teachers but we as parents need to step up the the plate and show more interest in our childs learning abilities

Posted: August 13, 2012

Earlier this year (2012) we were considering this alternative school for our middle-school student and I was surprised not to find any recent comments on this board, so I visited their campus and talked with a few teachers who were very helpful. I think it is a great idea that they hold their classes during the afternoon hours as studies have shown that many teens are not operating at optimal levels earlier in the day. I also checked into a previous poster's concern about the curfew in this area, and after discussing it with several students and city officials, I learned that it does create a serious conflict - not allowing alternative students to be in public during the morning hours. Seems very unresonable to me, and therefore we chose not to enroll here. BTW, I just looked them up on the district website and they have changed the school's name to The Portal.

Posted: June 2, 2011

My child is currently attending this school and has successfully maintained a high grade point average and has successfully passed the CASHEE on the first try, thanks to all the practice study preparation given by teachers before the exam. The teachers communicate well with parents regarding student classroom progress. Tutoring service is made available before school for all school subjects. School Councelors are informative and helpful and have a open door policy. I personally know of students who've attended/graduated and moved onto Universities and are doing very well. Students at SAILS get all the same education as regular High School in the area; but without all the extra electives and the over crowded classrooms. A majority of the students that get enrolled into this school half way through the semester are the "last resort or your not passing" students from local High Schools around town. The teachers at SAILS seem to get students focused and back onto track. All in all, this is a great school! Students who work hard, stay focused and respect them selves and others will be successful and will go onto to big and better futures.

Posted: April 6, 2011

This school is horrendous. There are a few good teachers, but for the most part students attending will get nothing out of it. I was a good student and I was told not to bother going to college since I was coming from here. There isn't even currently a principal at this school and there is no discipline. You want to send your kid where they'll be safe and be able to learn? Then sadly, like many other schools nearby, this isn't the right school. The best option to go to this school is if your failing elsewhere and this is the only way for you to get a diploma. Don't come here and expect to go to college.

Posted: May 21, 2010

This school's unique 3-class a day schedule is made possible by requiring that each student's daily physical education be conducted as an off-campus independent study during non-school hours, and the logical time to accomplish this is during the A.M. hours before school begins each day. Sadly, the city of Chula Vista has a daytime curfew between 8:30 A.M. and 1:30 P.M., and your student risks being arrested if seen in any public place. This school seems unconcerned about this risk, and the impact on their students. The local police will arrest your child and do not care if truancy is not an issue.

Posted: November 23, 2009