Kathleen MacDonald High School

Kathleen MacDonald High School is a comprehensive, coeducational public high school in San Jose, California, United States.^[1][10] It is one of five high schools in the Santa Clara Unified School District (SCUSD).^[11] MacDonald is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges through the 2025–2026 school year.^[6]

Kathleen MacDonald High School
Address
3588 Zanker Road San Jose , Santa Clara County , California 95134 United States
Coordinates	37°24′27″N 121°56′03″W
Information
Type	Public high school[1]
Established	July 11, 2022 (3 years ago) (2022-07-11)[1]
School district	Santa Clara Unified School District[1]
NCES District ID	0635430[2]
NCES School ID	14618[1]
Principal	Vivian Rhone-Lay[3]
Interim principal	Nelson Hori[3]
Vice principals	Terry Flora, Nicole Tafoya[3]
Enrollment	434[4] (2023–2024)
• Grade 9	224
• Grade 10	205
Color(s)	Navy blue   Green[5]
Athletics conference	Santa Clara Valley Athletic League[6]
Nickname	Condors[7]
Accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges[6]
Yearbook	The Tamien[8]
Newsletter	Condor Courier[9]
Clubs	18[6] (2022–2023)
Sports teams	17[7] (2024–2025)
Website	macdonald.santaclarausd.org

History

In June 2014, the Santa Clara Unified School District purchased 59.4 acres of the former Agnews Developmental Center to build a K–12 educational facility.^[12][13] Construction began in 2016, with the elementary and middle schools finishing in 2021.^[14][15] Kathleen MacDonald High School was completed the following year and opened to freshmen in August 2022.^[16][17] It is named after Kathleen MacDonald, a longtime teacher and administrator at Adrian C. Wilcox High School.^[18][19]

Academics

As of the 2024–2025 school year, MacDonald High School offers four Advanced Placement classes and six honors-level courses.^[20] The school emphasizes three educational qualities: a design thinking culture, learning communities, and inquiry-based learning.^[21] MacDonald also offers time for Personalized, Competency-Based Learning (PCBL) twice each week to support and encourage students.^[22]

Controversies

2024 Swimming Coach Arrested

• Anthony Daly, Kathleen MacDonald High School's second swimming coach, was arrested for allegedly sending sexually explicit content to a minor. On July 18, 2024, he was taken into custody in San Mateo, California, after a San Jose police investigation revealed he had sent inappropriate messages to a female minor between July and September of 2023.^[23]

Paraeducator Arrested for Child Exploitation

• Sherman Cater III, a paraeducator at MacDonald High School, was arrested on February 10, 2025, for possessing child sexual abuse material. The San Jose Police Department’s ICAC Task Force found he had distributed child pornography from his Cupertino home between November 2024 and January 2025. He was booked into Santa Clara County Jail after a search of his home.^[24]

PE Teacher, Athletic Director & Coach Arrested

• In February 2025, Darrin Garcia, the PE teacher, coach, and athletic director of MacDonald High School, was arrested for having a sexual relationship with a student sometime between 2021 and 2023. Police say this incident occurred while he was a coach and teacher at Santa Clara High School. At the time of his arrest, Garcia was working as a coach and PE teacher at MacDonald High.^[25]