NVUSD and STARS College Network Expand College Access with First-Ever Formal Partnership and Launch of STARS College Advisory Program 

The Napa Valley Unified School District (NVUSD) and the STARS College Network are pleased to announce a formal partnership to implement a four-year pilot program through the STARS College Advisory Program in Spring 2025. The program hopes to expand the number of qualified and interested NVUSD students applying to and enrolling in prestigious four-year institutions, closing a historical opportunity gap for many. Partner NVUSD high schools benefit from the flexibility of a hybrid advising model that connects students with resources across the STARS College Network. In addition to individualized advising for students and their families, STARS College Advisors offer college access programming for students in grades 8-12, provide professional development and resources for educators, and access to wider STARS resources through its college fly-in and drive-in programs for students and educators. This is the first formal collaboration between the STARS College Network and a school district. 

“NVUSD’s partnership with the STARS College Network will be transformative for our students and staff,” said NVUSD Superintendent Dr. Rosanna Mucetti. “By providing direct access to resources, college advising, and the colleges themselves through student and staff fly-in and drive-in visits, we can further empower our students to pursue their higher education goals while bridging the opportunity gap. Students need us to expose them to these transformative opportunities and experiences so they can imagine possibilities and realize dreams of college attainment. We are incredibly proud to be the first TK-12 school district in the nation to pilot this innovative program.”

“STARS is strengthened by partnerships that allow us to create more opportunities and options for students as they go through the college admissions process and find the school that is right for them,” said Marjorie Betley, executive director of the STARS College Network. “We look forward to working closely with NVUSD to build a program that best meets the unique needs of their students and staff, and supports their success.”

STARS (short for Small Town and Rural Students) partners with top colleges to ensure that students from rural and small-town America have the information and support they need to enroll and graduate from the college or university of their choice. The network includes 32 of the nation’s most prominent institutions, including Amherst College, Auburn University, Brown University, Caltech, Case Western Reserve University, Colby College, Columbia University in the City of New York, Dartmouth College, Duke University, Georgia Institute of Technology, MIT, Northwestern University, SMU, Spelman College, Stanford University, The Ohio State University, University of Alabama, University of Arizona, University of Arkansas, University of California Berkeley, University of Chicago, University of Denver, University of Iowa, University of Maryland, University of Notre Dame, University of South Carolina, University of Southern California, The University of Texas at Austin, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Vanderbilt University, Washington University in St. Louis, and Yale University.  The partnership with NVUSD marks a significant step in the Network's efforts to provide direct support to students within school districts.

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About the STARS College Network: The STARS College Network partners with top colleges to ensure that students from rural and small-town America have the information and support they need to enroll and graduate from the college or university of their choice. 

About Napa Valley Unified School District: Napa Valley Unified School District (NVUSD) proudly serves 16,250 students in Transitional Kindergarten through 12th grade across 26 schools in the communities of American Canyon and Napa. NVUSD remains committed to its vision of developing graduates who are confident, compassionate, adaptable adults who are well-prepared for life and become inspiring advocates for themselves and their community.