Círculos started as a small pilot program before launching in 2018-19 as an option for high school students housed at the Advanced Learning Academy, a charter school that is part of the Santa Ana Unified School District. 

During the XQ Super School challenge, community members wanted to design a school that could give first-generation Americans and students from low-wealth communities access to the resources and opportunities surrounding them in Orange County, an affluent region where the cost of living continues to outpace national averages. They came up with Círculos, a school model that connects students with the county’s industry, arts, and culture through powerful place-based and project-based learning. The founding team also wanted a school where students feel seen and heard, which is why youth voice and choice are integral to its design. 

True to its name and rooted in its culture, every student at Círculos is part of a tight-knit learning circle of peers, teachers, and community members. Students are given space inside and outside of their classrooms to flourish with project-based learning. The school offers many opportunities for them to exercise voice and agency, including choosing learning experiences that reflect their interests and leading their peers in learning. 

For example, students visited Segerstrom Center for the Arts, where they learned about the theater’s history and surveyed the public about what wanted from a local interactive art piece. Respondents told them about the need for a structure to provide shade and prevent noise pollution. Students then worked with an industrial artist and electrical engineer to create a work of art that resembled a dome people could walk beneath, culminating in a community showcase to celebrate what they created and learned. 

Círculos also hosts Community Weeks, when students lead Passion Sessions on non-academic, student-centered topics either alone or by partnering with teachers. This innovative school is sharing its success with project-based learning. Its team created four PBL classes that are state-approved and available to any school in the district.  

Student Outcomes

Círculos serves more than 160 students. The graduating class of 2022 consisted of 12 seniors, with more than double that number in 2023.

In XQ’s student survey of the class of 2022, 11 seniors were surveyed. All said they were going to college—and all but one of them said they’d be the first in their family to do so. Ten of those 12th graders had earned college credits during high school. And nine (82 percent) said they felt at least somewhat prepared for the future. 

100 percent of the class of 2022 graduated, compared to the Santa Ana Unified District (92 percent) and the state of California (87 percent). More than three-quarters of those students cited collaborating and demonstrating knowledge as key strengths they had developed at Círculos that will serve them well as adults.