Welcome to the web site for the alternative educational programs of the Hughson Unified School District.

The alternative educational programs include two schools: Valley Community Day School, and Billy Joe Dickens High School.

Valley Community Day School was developed to meet the needs of students in grades 9 and 10 who have struggled in middle school or in the first year of high school.  Students in this school are able to focus on their coursework with the help of a teacher and paraeducator in a small group setting.  The goal of the school is to prepare students with the skills and abilities, both academically and socially, necessary to enroll or to re-enroll in Hughson High School, the single comprehensive high school in the district.

Billy Joe Dickens High School, named for a sheriff deputy who was killed while on duty in Hughson in 1970, serves the needs of students who are in their third or fourth year of high school.  Students at BJD may be behind in their coursework, may need to work to help support the family, may have medical reasons that restrict their ability to attend a full day schedule of classes, or may have other needs that can best be met through alternative education.  Billy Joe Dickens students may return to Hughson High to graduate or may elect to graduate with their classmates at BJD.