School Overview

School Mission Statement and Description

School Mission Statement:

Thomas Downey High School is dedicated to continuing our tradition of excellence and promoting relevant learning environments which allow students to become lifelong learners and responsible citizens. Our goal is to have students develop critical thinking skills, and be able to succeed in a technologically advancing world.

School Description:

Thomas Downey High School (TDHS) opened its doors in September 1951 and is the second oldest high school in the Modesto City Schools District. Downey has had an important place in the local landscape for over sixty-eight years. Downey, a comprehensive, public high school located in the heart of Modesto, is one of seven high schools in the Modesto City Schools system, serving a community of more than 200,000 residents in the central valley of California. Current fall 2019 enrollment is 2125 students. Downey’s student population comes from a wide range of backgrounds and neighborhoods. Light industry, farms, businesses, construction and professional offices anchor the residential areas that comprise our attendance area. Downey also has a number of students whose parents commute to the Bay Area while appreciating the quality of life in Modesto. We continue to possess a heterogeneous school population that mirrors the ethnic make-up of our community: Hispanic 60%, Caucasian 30%, African-American 2.6%, Asian 2%, E. Indian/Pacific Islander 1%, and Other 4.4%. Additionally, preliminary numbers indicate that 73% of the student population is on free/reduced lunch.

In 2001 Thomas Downey High School was named California Distinguished School, and it's the first high school in the district to achieve this coveted recognition. In 2019, Downey received a six-year accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Downey provides a comprehensive curriculum providing courses for students of all abilities and interests. Programs at Downey include Advance Placement courses (AP), College Preparatory courses (CP), English Learner (EL) services, Special Education, Resource, Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), Teen Parenting and Teen Pregnancy Programs, Read 180 (reading intervention), and various rich vocational education programs articulated with Regional Occupational Programs (ROP) and Modesto Junior College to prepare students to enter the world of work.

The Downey campus encompasses 94 classrooms and labs, two gymnasiums, an auditorium and a library. It also includes a complete complex of athletic fields, stadium, and a swimming pool. In the spring 2019, state of the art synthetic turf was replaced in Chuck Hughes Stadium. October 2009 marked completion of an extensive campus modernization to renovate Downey’s classrooms, build a state-of-the-art swimming pool, and update other facilities. Upgrades included complete abatement, new roofing and paint school-wide, tack board, new flooring and paint for classrooms, upgraded data systems, and seismic upgrades, among much more. Additionally, 2012 marked the completion of a commercial scale culinary arts classroom. With these additions, TDHS boasts some of the district’s – and area’s – most up to date facilities. Technology is a major focus and is infused into the curriculum and used to strengthen the integrated instruction that occurs across disciplines. Every staff member will have a Surface Pro computer with access to computerized resources 80" TV's have been added in ten classrooms and will have more TV's added in the near future. Also, Downey has campus-wide wireless coverage with the capability of the district’s filtered network. Staff on campus correspond directly via email. A career and college counseling center is available to students, and an after school tutoring program with additional transportation services is also offered.