STARS Network Partnership Drives Increase in National College Applications from NVUSD Students

The Napa Valley Unified School District’s (NVUSD) partnership with the STARS College Network is resulting in more college applications from NVUSD students to universities nationwide. 
This collaboration, the first formal partnership between the STARS College Network and a public school district, was designed to close a historical opportunity gap by expanding the number of qualified and interested NVUSD students who apply to and ultimately enroll in four-year institutions.

To do this, STARS provides:

• Individualized Support for students and their families
• College Access Programming for students in grades 8-12
• Professional Development and Resources for Educators
• Access to wider STARS resources through college fly-in and drive-in programs for both students and educators

NVUSD’s 2025-2026 STARS College Advising Cohort, which includes approximately 250 current seniors from American Canyon High School (ACHS), Napa High School (NHS), Vintage High School (VHS), and New Technology High School (NTHS), was offered the opportunity to take advantage of 1-1 College Advising in the spring of their Junior years as they explored colleges across the nation.  
The result? Of the 85 students who applied to a STARS network school, 22 students applied through highly competitive Early Decision or Early Action tracks. In fact, NVUSD/STARS seniors applied to 28 out of the 32 colleges within the highly selective STARS College Network. 

“We’re so excited to see the NVUSD community take advantage of all the resources STARS offers - from fly-in programs to college advising to virtual events," shared Marjorie Betley, Executive Director of the STARS College Network. "These early results show how important it is to connect rural and small-town students with the information they need to access all their college options, and the support they need to navigate the often-complicated admissions and financial aid processes at highly selective schools.”

Kelli Watkins, NVUSD District College and Career Readiness Counselor, noted the transformative impact of the program on student mindset: "Our partnership with STARS has opened the doors of possibility for our students. Many typically don’t apply to colleges outside of California. This network provided the confidence and resources for our students to envision themselves at top universities nationwide."

The partnership’s success is directly linked to increased exposure to institutions that historically were not top of mind for NVUSD high school students. In fact, the district saw a tenfold increase in applications to the University of Chicago, jumping from one applicant last year to eleven this year. Furthermore, personalized outreach events were highly influential. Columbia University’s Admissions team inspired 16 students to apply. A personal visit from Notre Dame University’s Admissions team inspired 8 students to apply. Case Western Reserve University received four applications this year, two of which were from students who attended the fall fly-in program.

These statistics underscore the power of the STARS Network to connect high-achieving public school students with colleges committed to recruiting talented students. 

NVUSD Superintendent Dr. Rosanna Mucetti shared her excitement, “Our responsibility as a school district and as educators is to create opportunities for our students and their families. We are seeing that happen as we continue our partnership with the STARS College Network. We remain incredibly proud of this partnership and what it means for our students!”

“NVUSD’s Vision 2040 asks us to create real-world, innovative, learning experiences for our students that are forward-looking and relevant,” continued the Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Support Services, Monica Ready. “The learning our students are experiencing through the STARS College Network is truly transformative.”

Board of Trustees President Dr. Lisa Chu concluded, “Our board is committed to ‘strengthening college and career readiness opportunities,’ in alignment with NVUSD’s 2024-2029 strategic plan. This is one way we are delivering on that promise!”

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.