Ceiba College Prep may be closed permanently

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION-TV) — The future of Ceiba College Preparatory Academy will be decided at a special Watsonville City Council meeting Tuesday night.

The City Council will decide on a special use permit and rezoning that will allow the school to remain permanently on Locust Street.

If the city council had voted against it, it could have resulted in the permanent closure of the school.

Ceiba College Preparatory Academy is a charter college preparatory school for grades 6-12 with a current enrollment of 525 students. The academy opened in 2008 and has been at its current location on Locust Street since 2014.

Last April, the Watsonville Planning Commission voted 3-2 in favor of the zoning changes. However, the vote failed because it required a majority vote.

Ceiba College Preparatory Academy Principal Josh Ripp says the academy has 98 percent high school graduates. He also said that the academy’s student body, which is 95% Hispanic and 90% socioeconomically disadvantaged.

On Friday, parents and students held a march at Watsonville City Plaza, shouting “Don’t Close Ceiba” and “Si Se Puede.”

City Council meeting will be held at 5:30 pm in the Watsonville City Council Chamber. The meeting will be broadcast live on the city’s website.