The Puente (Spanish for "bridge") Project is a national-award-winning program that for 25 years has improved the college-going rate of tens of thousands of California's educationally disadvantaged students. Its mission is to increase the number of such students who enroll in four-year colleges and universities, earn college degrees and return to the community as mentors and leaders of future generations. Begun in 1981 at one community college, the program has since expanded to 32 high schools and 58 community colleges statewide. Puente trains school and college faculty to implement a program of rigorous instruction, focused academic counseling, and mentoring by members of the community. The program has benefited over 20,000 students directly and more than a quarter of a million indirectly through the extended impact of its staff training programs. In 1998, the program won the prestigious Innovations in American Government award, sponsored by the Ford Foundation, the Council on Excellence in Government and Harvard University. Puente is open to all students, and they are chosen to represent a variety of baseline academic performance levels. The Puente Project is co-sponsored by the University of California and the California Community Colleges. The Executive Director for the Puente Program is Frank Garcia(frank.garcia@ucop.edu).


Number of Schools Participating: 32
View Participating Schools


Program Website

Last Updated on: 4/2/2007
Last Updated by: Rachel Kimball

School Program Information Last Updated: 4/2/2007 9:25:11 AM

University Of California


Rachel Kimball, Administrative Specialist
300 Lakeside Drive 7th Floor
Oakland CA 94612
510-987-9671
rachel.kimball@ucop.edu


- Language Arts Emphasis
- Community Leadership/Mentoring
- Counseling Focus
- Teacher Training


- State