Bonita Vista High (BVH) is one of the few schools within the Sweetwater Union High School District that offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program (DP). The IB program is a rigorous two-year program aimed to provide students an authentic experience to gain academic skills and prepare for higher education.
However, as with many programs the number of students enrolled fluctuates throughout the years. According to data collected by IB Coordinator Jared Phelps the class of 2023 and 2024 has the lowest classes recorded in the past ten years.
“If we look at the past ten years, including the two pandemic years, the senior class of 2023 and 2024 were the lowest number of students attempting the diploma. [These students] were not in [the IB program] during pandemic years, but in ninth and tenth grade. Those [specific] years are when [I introduced the program],” Phelps said.
As Phelps further investigates his data, he reviews how the number of IB candidates has varied since the returning of students from the 2019 pandemic. He explains that from an outside view the numbers come off as a surprise, but as someone who knows the ins and outs of the program it isn’t a shock.
“One of the things that I really see in the data with the lowest numbers is that it’s not surprising because I feel like that dip in the IB Diploma Program interest in those two years absolutely makes sense. I’m not surprised at all that [data] was there,” Phelps said.
Phelps recognizes the little correlation between decreasing enrollment rates at BVH and its effects on IB Diploma student rates. Furthermore, he describes the impact would not be large enough to significantly alter numbers on the IB program.
“My gut feeling is that [BVH] overall enrollment hasn’t dropped by more than ten or fifteen percent in an IB program of around 40 [students] […] I certainly do feel that it could play a part in all of this but it doesn’t have a massive impact on the side of a program that I’m running,” Phelps said.
IB Diploma candidate and senior Alexander Roman mentions noticing the smaller program size of his graduating class compared to other years. They further explain that although they had experienced the impact of distance learning, they were brought into the IB program in a different way.
“My sister was also in the IB program here, so I was kind of born into it. What really made me end up choosing IB was going back into high school as a sophomore because of the pandemic. I felt kind of restricted. I felt confused, during my sophomore year, [I saw the IB program] as an opportunity to take action in my life and my grades,” Roman said.
Roman further expresses their support for the IB program and how it is structured to provide a personalized and deep experience for students. Moreover, Roman and IB HL1, English Accelerated, Theory of Knowledge, teacher Jason Good notes that students may be increasingly choosing to select a few IB classes based on their interests and circumstances rather than attempting the entire diploma program.
“Every year, we plan for a certain number of English IB classes. Toward the end of the year, we have got to add another one, because there’s so many kids that signed up for it. Years ago, we would have struggled to have three [IB English classes] and now we’ve got five,” Good said.
As the IB program continues to expand its reach at BVH, Good and Phelps collectively support all IB students whether they are attempting the IB diploma or taking an IB class. Phelps furthers the idea that IB isn’t restricted to solely a diploma.
“If they don’t feel like the diploma program is right for them, [students] might be able to find that [selected classes] is an amazing fit. As a school, we’re looking for other ways to support students in pursuing IB coursework. That isn’t just the full diploma,” Phelps said.
In emphasizing that IB isn’t simply a diploma and something open to all students, Good describes his hopes for the future. He looks to not only limit this push forward to students but also the teachers of BVH.
“It’s important [to note that] we’re seeing more kids want to take IB classes and that’s phenomenal. I love that fact but I also think that expansion can’t stop there,” Good said. “Just like kids, I want to see more teachers teaching IB classes. I hope that we don’t talk about it as just something students are doing. I hope teachers also feel encouraged to branch out and teach more IB classes.”
Moreover, Phelps expresses his strong support for a concept discussed among IB coordinators and educators, “IB for all.” His goal is to bring this concept into the community and have IB options at many different levels so all students could find something they felt comfortable doing.
“I hope that we, as a school, continue to move toward a place where we do try and encourage all students to find someplace in the IB program,” Phelps said. “I do think that there’s room for every student in the IB. It’s not that the IB is a program that is designed only for super bright students, it’s supposed to be for all.”
