Community Impact
For more than 20 years, Rancho Cielo has been the leading force in the Salinas Valley and Monterey County, working to change and improve the lives of undeserved and under-promised youth in Monterey County. Through creative partnerships with local organizations, our students receive on-site counseling, enrichment and social services and connect to a community striving for social vibrancy.
We aim to transform lives and support our students as thriving community members and productive contributors to our local workforce. We offer career pathway programs to prepare youth ages 16-24 for living wage jobs in the county’s top industries—culinary/hospitality, construction and agriculture.
Rancho Cielo’s Board of Directors and staff reflect the community we serve and the industries we work to train our students to join. Our Board includes industry leaders who help identify labor force needs for our local economy. Our staff includes professionals who mirror the demographics of our students, including many born and raised in Salinas and faced the same challenges our current students hope to overcome.
Rancho Cielo’s impact has been significant and far-reaching. It has enabled hundreds of young men and women to leap over unimaginable hurdles and gain the skills, knowledge, training and confidence they need to succeed personally and professionally.
Recent Major Accomplishments
- 786 diplomas earned by young people who would not have otherwise achieved one in the last 20 years.
- More than 2,250 youth served since Rancho Cielo opened its doors.
- Class of 2025: largest graduating class in history (77 graduates in 2025, 76 in 2024, 37 in 2023—a 250+% increase from the 2021-22 academic year).
- Class of 2025: Over 90% of graduates are continuing their education and/or employed.
- 500+ vocational certificates have been awarded in Ag Technology, Auto & Diesel, Culinary and Construction since inception.
- Awards: Best Ag Educator Award (2021, 2022, 2023 Monterey County Weekly), Best Education Institution (2021, Steinbeck Center), 2022-2023 Bank of America Neighborhood Champion for Monterey County Award, Overall, Winner of the Orange County Sustainability Decathlon, 2024 Monterey County Business Council’s Community Builder Award and Chevron’s Aces to Access Award (2024, 2025).
- Recognition and Resolutions presented in 2023 to Rancho Cielo by Senator Ana Caballero, Monterey County Supervisors and the City of Salinas.
Who We Serve
Student Demographics 2024/25 School Year
Located on the former site of Natividad Boys’ Ranch, Rancho Cielo serves over 200 low-income youth from all over Monterey County, primarily Latino (94%) descent.
The Need
Rancho Cielo is located in Salinas, California, the largest city in Monterey County, and is disproportionately impacted by violence, particularly violence impacting youth ages 10-24. During four of five years between 2009 and 2013, Monterey County was identified as “the most dangerous county in California” for youth in this age group due to the homicide victimization rate.
Salinas, home to a majority of our students, also has a history of violence impacting youth of this age, and we are currently partnering with the city to help reduce/prevent violence. The city itself experienced a record level of homicides in 2015 and has been working to prevent and reduce violence since. However, there is more work to do. Gang membership and criminal activity offer the best economic alternative for many Monterey County youth; at least 3,500 gang members are estimated to be living in Salinas alone, each belonging to one of 22 gangs. With more than 80% of our students residing in Salinas, RC programs aim to serve this population.
Historically, Rancho Cielo (RC) has provided a safe, supportive environment for youth at high risk of becoming involved in violent crime and gangs, as well as systems impacted and adjudicated youth. As a former judge on the Monterey County Superior Court, founder John Phillips witnessed the impact of this environment firsthand, which is why his original vision for RC was to establish a viable pathway away from gangs, crime and desperation for these youth to become self-sustained, contributing members of society.
However, as our community’s needs have evolved, RC has responded with its own growth and evolution. Especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have enhanced services to support youth facing many types of challenges, from students with mental health issues and broken homes to English Learners and neurodivergent learners. (We are working with the California Institute on Law, Neuroscience and Education; a collaboration between UC Law SF, UCSF Dyslexia Center and the UCLA School of Education; to provide assessments and support for our students with learning challenges.)
What’s more, viable options to earn a living wage are a pressing need for our county’s low-income youth who, in addition to exposure to criminal violence and gangs, face significant safety challenges due to limited economic opportunities, inequitable access to healthcare and transportation, disruptions in family dynamics, a scarcity of positive role models and more.
Even before COVID-19, adolescents in the United States began to experience greater rates of mental health problems. According to the Center for Disease Control’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey (2023), high pre-COVID rates of poor mental health and suicide-related behaviors have continued to rise since previous data collection in 2021, and Hispanic students (more than 90% of our student population) “were more likely to report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness during the past year.” The nuanced data found in the YRBS underscores the importance of culturally tailored prevention interventions, including mental health literacy efforts that reduce stigma and support, which RC continues to provide with on-campus counseling and mental health services.
Most of our students today come from the Salinas Union High School District, which according to the California School Dashboard, has a graduation rate in 2024 of 85.5% compared to 86.7% statewide. Furthermore, while Hispanic students compose over 90% of district’s graduates, they held only an 85.1% graduation rate compared to their counterparts. Over 95% of the district’s graduates were also socioeconomically challenged and 19% of them were English language learners. At RC, 96% of our students are socioeconomically challenged and nearly 30% are English language learners.
In Monterey County, providing undeserved, challenged youth with a high school education alone is insufficient to address their long-term needs. By integrating job training programs alongside their education, we equip these individuals with the skills, confidence and opportunities necessary to overcome barriers, secure employment and become valuable contributors to their community. With a comprehensive approach, we can empower youth and build a brighter future for Monterey County.
