The District Board of Trustees unanimously voted to close TIDE Academy on Feb. 4, relocating students to Woodside High School beginning in the 2026-27 school year. Students shared their aggravation and anxiety sparked by the decision, and feel that their perspectives were not considered by the Board.
“It’s been really distressing. The whole process had me worried, and when the decision was finally made, it was a mix of emotions. I was very worried, sad, and also angry at the Board,” TIDE sophomore Fedor Gladkoborodov said.
According to students, the decision immediately shifted the campus atmosphere. “Everyone’s kind of depressed, you can see it throughout the school. Everyone’s fought really hard for this and just to see it kind of go down the drain, it’s just really sad,” TIDE senior Jaden Clark said. “We feel just really overlooked.”
TIDE senior Jesus Chavez, who serves as the student body president, shared a similar sentiment. “It’s kind of insane. We built a community, and all the work that’s been put into it from the teachers is kind of just going down the drain. It’s really frustrating how our voices were not heard,” he said.
“Obviously, it was shocking, because I really didn’t expect that. I’ve always kind of gone to smaller schools, and TIDE was perfect for me, so it was anything but convenient,” TIDE sophomore Elijah Chiochan said.
Some students expressed surprise at the Board’s decision following emotional public comments from students and parents. “It felt like we really did say a lot of really important stuff, so it was hard to believe the unanimous vote,” sophomore Konstantin Edunov said. “There was one kid who talked about how he went to Woodside before going to TIDE, and that it was really bad, including that at one point, he started getting death threats from other students. Even after multiple presentations like that, they voted to try to move TIDE into the Woodside campus.”
The decision to close the school has thwarted many students’ future plans. “[TIDE] was so great, and I was excited for my opportunities in the future. I was excited for the classes I was gonna take. I was planning on taking journalism next year, but I won’t be able to do it at TIDE,” Gladkoborodov said.
Transfer students at TIDE expressed their worries about returning to the schools they left. “I know a lot of kids are worried, especially upperclassmen who chose TIDE, because of how much they were struggling at those larger schools,” Edunov said. “Everyone’s feeling really worried and stressed right now, because they don’t want to go back to those larger schools where they face more harassment.”
The impact of the closure has gone beyond just students, impacting teachers and staff as well. “After the decision was made, I saw all the teachers crying in the parking lot. It’s really sad for them too,” Gladkoborodov said.
Even before the official announcement, the prospect of the school’s closure took a significant toll on teachers and students. “I remember my counselor breaking out in tears when she first heard a couple of months ago that TIDE might close, because these are some of their dream jobs,” Chiochan said.
Daily life at TIDE has also changed. “[The day after the decision] a lot of our classes were less academically intensive. We didn’t do as much because it’s really hard to focus right now for a lot of the students here, because they’re just too worried about what’s coming next,” Edunov said.
Still, the TIDE community is finding ways to lift their spirits through field trips and other weekly events, including an upcoming festival featuring local vendors. “We’re trying to make everybody feel like there’s a light at the end of the road,” Chavez said.
Despite the uncertainty of many logistics, especially surrounding student transfers, students are still thankful for what TIDE has given them. “TIDE is probably the most influential and best experience I’ve had. It has really changed my life, and I’m just really happy that I was able to attend,” Gladkoborodov said.
