Rancho Cordova’s next high school will focus on careers — and needs a name
It’ll be nearly three years until Folsom Cordova Unified School District’s newest high school opens, but some details about it are already known.
The building, located at 3215 Prospect Park Drive in Rancho Cordova, was formerly a call center and is now undergoing renovations. The school will be smaller than the district’s three existing comprehensive campuses — Folsom, Cordova and Vista del Lago — and will emphasize career technical education
Now, the public is being invited to help name the new school. The district announced on Facebook last week that it is accepting suggestions through Nov. 21 via an online poll.
“We want the community to be involved in naming the high school,” said Chris Clark, board president for Folsom Cordova Unified School District.
Growth prompts new school
The new high school comes at a time of growth for the district, a rare trend in California, according to board member David Reid.
“Ninety percent of the schools in California are either stagnant or decreasing in population,” Reid said.
He said new housing developments south of Highway 50, combined with the district’s academic reputation, have driven enrollment increases.
“It’s a school district that people want to move into for the benefit of their kids,” Reid said, adding that the district is the top-performing one in the Sacramento region.
Each of the district’s three high schools serves approximately 2,500 to 3,000 students. The new school will be significantly smaller, with a projected enrollment of 500 to 800 students.
“The reason why we are looking at opening up a small high school is an acknowledgement that the large comprehensive high schools aren’t for everybody,” Reid said.
Clark said the new campus would offer career training in areas such as culinary arts and would fill a need for Rancho Cordova students.
“I just think it’s long overdue,” Clark said. “The best thing is that the school is not going to have attendance boundaries. It’ll be open to students from the entire district.”
Reid estimated that the district was saving $30 million to $40 million in repurposing the former call center to open the school, rather than building the school from scratch.
According to the district’s Facebook post, the school is scheduled to open in August 2028.
Early suggestions for the name
The Facebook announcement generated more than 80 likes and 140 comments, with several community members suggesting names.
One person proposed “Prospect High”, citing its connection to future opportunity. Another suggested William Alexander Leidesdorff High School, honoring the 19th-century businessman of Black and Mexican descent who was Rancho Cordova’s first landowner.
A more tongue-in-cheek entry — “Schooley McSchoolface” — referenced a viral 2016 online poll to name a British research vessel Boaty McBoatface. The comment received 10 likes but is unlikely to influence the final choice.
The district said the name should “reflect our community’s values, history, and vision.”
Clark confirmed that a naming committee would review suggestions and forward finalists to the school board.
“Obviously, we have a naming committee that it’ll funnel through and then obviously it’ll go to the board of education to make that final decision,” Clark said.
Reid said the name will likely need to align with the school’s educational mission.
“We’re trying to identify exactly everything that this school will be trying to accomplish and then hopefully we’ll find a name that makes sense for the school,” Reid said.
