Imagine walking into a high school classroom where the students are relaxed, focused, and deeply engaged in their work.
Imagine it’s a space where endless lecturing and constant tests are not the norm.
Imagine, instead, that it’s a space intentionally created and designed to enhance collaboration and creativity. A space that cultivates deep learning through meaningful projects that provide hands-on experiences, preparing students for the future.
Such a place exists at 1331 E Calaveras Blvd.
It’s called the Milpitas High School (MHS) Extension, and it’s located at the newly built Innovation Campus.
The MHS Extension opened its doors for the first time in August 2024. It was then that a group of 70 students, made up of freshmen and sophomores, embarked upon a unique, historic journey. They became the first students ever to be enrolled in this brand new Milpitas Unified School District (MUSD) program.
Of late, MUSD has made big strides. The district celebrated the Phase 2 completion of the Innovation Campus last September. The campus is not only home to the MHS Extension, but also the Adult Education Center, Calaveras Hills High School, and the district offices.
Now, before any confusion sets in, one thing must be made clear: the MHS Extension is not separate from Milpitas High School (MHS); it’s actually, as its name suggests, an extension of it – even though the two campuses are about 2.2 miles away from one another.
But the students who are enrolled at the MHS Extension experience their full day of school at the Innovation Campus.
“Students have four periods a day that are scheduled in 90-minute blocks, Monday to Thursday. The periods alternate according to the day. They have a project-based learning period for 7th period, which is centered upon passion projects,” said Robert Richardson, Assistant Principal of the MHS Extension, in an interview with The Beat.
On Fridays, students have all of their regular six periods in one day.
Currently, the MHS Extension is focused on offering electives based in engineering and digital media.
So along with taking their required core courses, students can also choose to take an elective like Intro to Engineering, Computer Assisted Design, Architectural Design, Digital Media, or Advanced Multimedia.
Student Experiences
Bryan Nguyen, a sophomore at the MHS Extension, experienced his first year of high school at the main MHS campus.
“During that first year, when I was at MHS, I felt good there, but I also felt I wasn’t doing enough,” Nguyen told The Beat. “There just weren’t as many opportunities as I wanted.”
So when he found out about the MHS Extension, he didn’t hesitate to get onboard.
“Being here, at the MHS Extension, you really get to feel like you’re progressing into your chosen field,” said Nguyen. “I want to go into mechanical engineering. And on this campus, there are so many machines and things I get to learn that directly relate to my career.”
Nguyen feels that one of the benefits of being at the MHS Extension is that it offers a kind of college-like experience, giving students a lot of independence.
Addison Tuet is also a sophomore at the MHS Extension. She, too, experienced her freshman year on MHS’ main campus.
“WIth a lot of the work I was doing at the main campus, I didn’t see it connecting to any future job or career. And I wanted to try something different,” said Tuet. “On the main campus, I felt like I was just 1 in 3,000. And here, at the MHS Extension, you get to make choices.”
The MHS Extension educates through Project-Based Learning, or PBL, an innovative style of teaching that gives students the opportunity to learn through real-world experiences. They aren’t merely memorizing facts or information; they’re taking action by building, creating, experimenting, and working with their fellow students. Students are able to engage in meaningful projects, while also problem-solving and flexing their creative muscles. All of this gives them a sense of true ownership over their education – and their future.
“A Project-Based Learning school consists of more in-depth time in order to accommodate kids collaborating,” said Richardson, who previously worked for 15 years in other Project-Based Learning schools. “The model here is to encourage deeper learning and explore topics more in-depth.”
This type of learning helps students to retain more information, to collaborate, and to develop critical thinking skills. Students are also able to focus on projects that are in alignment with their particular passions.
Norah Bonifacio is a freshman at the MHS Extension. Last year, she was an eighth-grader at Thomas Russell Middle School.
When asked what she loved most about being part of the program, Bonifacio said, “I love the smaller class sizes. In my math class, there are 10 kids. Our math teacher takes the time to explain things one on one, so you understand the concepts.”
Students at the Innovation Campus’ MHS Extension have the opportunity to participate in sports at the main campus. A bus is provided after school every day to take MHS Extension students who are participating in sports to Milpitas High School.
Bonifacio, who is a student athlete, takes the bus after school to get to track practice. And during last year’s Fall and Winter semesters, she went to the main MHS campus for basketball and flag football practice. Although she’s made new friends at the MHS Extension, her old friends that she went to elementary and middle school with are all at the main campus.
“I enjoy being part of the MHS community, too,” said Bonifacio. “I’ve grown up with a lot of the freshmen there, so I’m close to them. I’m glad I get to go to both campuses and still see them.”
Making the Choice
Along with modernized, open-space classrooms, the MHS Extension’s Innovation Campus also features a makerspace, a STEAM lab, a production studio, a community room, and a new Esports Lab. All students enrolled also receive their very own Macbooks.
Students also have the option of taking part in dual enrollment, wherein they’re able to take a college course for credit. Professors come out from the San Jose Evergreen Community College District to teach MHS Extension students right where they are at the Innovation Campus.
Greg Wohlman, Principal of both the MHS main campus and MHS Extension, was deeply involved in the planning process of the MHS Extension as it was coming together. He feels that giving students and families options like the MHS Extension is a huge game-changer for education in Milpitas.
“The major unique thing about the MHS Extension is that every staff member and every student chose to be here. I’ve worked in multiple schools and districts, and I’ve never been to a place where everybody chose to be there,” said Wohlman. “We’ve made school relevant again.”
The MHS Extension at the Innovation Campus is currently accepting applications for the 2025-2025 school year. Incoming 9th graders, 10th graders, and 11th graders are welcome to apply here.
