Stockton Unified School District, CA: Providing Strategic Support & Shared Language
The Background
Stockton Unified School District (SUSD), located in California's Central Valley, supports a large and diverse student body of 38,452 students (82% who are socio-economically disadvantaged and 25% English learners) , with 55 schools and 138 school counselors.
Serving a community with deep roots, the district encompasses numerous K-8 and high schools, all dedicated to addressing the varied academic, linguistic, cultural, and socioeconomic needs of their students. Recognizing an opportunity for improvement, SUSD's school counseling leadership decided to consolidate and enhance their comprehensive counseling services across all schools. This initiative aims to more effectively support students' holistic development, covering academic achievement, social-emotional wellness, and college and career readiness.
The Challenge
Schools in Silos: School counseling efforts were fragmented, with individual sites operating in isolation and implementing widely varying programs. A lack of shared understanding on how to use data to measure and demonstrate the impact of comprehensive school counseling on student success was a key challenge. Consequently, frequent changes in leadership required the school counseling team to constantly re-justify the importance and effect of their programs.
The Solution
Building Trust and Understanding: Stockton partnered with Hatching Results to build a comprehensive school counseling program anchored in the ASCA National Model®. Hatching Results provided tailored professional development and resources, helping school counselors standardize practices, deliver classroom lessons, and use data to connect their work with student outcomes. They also guided district leaders in bringing administrators into the process, recognizing their critical role in championing comprehensive school counseling programs and the alignment with student success.
The Results
Responsive, Connected School Counseling! Stockton’s school counselors now speak a shared data language that resonates with site administrators and district leaders. They analyze state dashboard data, connect the data to school counseling efforts, and take pride in their contributions to improved graduation rates, college and career readiness, and reduced chronic absenteeism. Administrators better understand how school counselors support site goals, and school counselors feel more empowered to advocate for their work.
In 2025, Stockton Unified School District (SUSD) was named the California Exemplary District School Counseling Program of the Year by the California Association of School Counselors (CASC).
Program Growth & Recognition:
The school counselor workforce has more than doubled in 8 years, increasing from 67 to 138 counselors.
Most elementary schools now have 2 full-time school counselors, and each comprehensive high school has 8 or more school counselors.
19 schools have received the prestigious ASCA RAMP® Award in the last 5 years.
25 elementary schools have earned recognition from the CA PBIS Coalition.
Improved Student Outcomes:
The district's graduation rate has increased from 82% to 89% in the last two years, surpassing the state average.
All four comprehensive high schools maintain high graduation rates, averaging 93% (between 92-94%).
College/Career Indicator (CCI) increased the number of students ‘prepared’ at twice the rate of the state average.
Districtwide CCI performance rose from 18.6 percent in 2023 to 30.3 percent in 2025, with nearly all high schools improving or maintaining results.
Chronic absenteeism has decreased by 12% over the last two years, improving at twice the rate of the state average two years in a row.
Suspension rates have decreased 1.7% over the last two years.
“Hatching Results has empowered our school counselors to embrace leadership and collaborate with administrators effectively. School counselors should boldly engage in meaningful discussions focused on enhancing services for students, as advocating for the school community is essential. It is vital for school counselors to recognize that their insights and contributions are crucial to student success.”
