As of April 2025, San Marin has 1,204 students enrolled, according to the Novato Unified School District’s (NUSD) website. This is a slight decline from March 2024, where San Marin had a total enrollment of 1,233 students. Despite the decline in students itself, San Marin has seen an increase in students applying to the STEM program.
AP Environmental Science and Biology teacher Melissa Havel has taught at San Marin for 12 years and has had more students apply to STEM and take more science classes.
“I’ve seen a large increase in the number [of students] in the past few years,” Havel said.
This increase in STEM could be due to the addition of the new Art in Science (STEAM) pathway. STEAM is a new art-based curriculum added to the original program.
“I definitely think it [increased enrollment] has to do with more classes being offered with the already large STEM department,” Havel said.
The STEAM program’s classes offer an alternative to science-interested students, which incorporates more visual learning and teaches art alongside the science curriculum. STEAM involves learning how to create scientific graphics, charts, and guides.
STEM Marin enrolls around 199 ninth graders each year, who choose which pathway to take: STEAM, Biotechnology, or Engineering. The school has a total availability of 50 more students across all three programs, according to the NUSD School Board.
The highest rate of Engineering students are currently in the class of 2027, with 127 students enrolled. This contrasts the class’ Biotechnology enrollment, listed at 51 students. Compared to the class of 2026, this was an increase of 33% enrollment in Engineering, but a decrease of 15% in the Biotechnology program.
Francesca Whitcomb, Director of Human Resources for NUSD, presented a graph displaying enrollment statistics during an NUSD board meeting on April 22. Despite the current descent this year, statistics show that San Marin will reach a high-point next year with a large margin of enrollment.
Katie Stafford, San Marin’s STEM coordinator, believes San Marin’s popularity could come from casual discussion among Marin residents.
“I think [enrollment increase] mostly comes from either word of mouth or due to the STEM program itself,” Stafford said. “Novato [High] has MSA (Marin School of the Arts), and we have STEM, and I think they both work off of each other respectively in high school enrollment across the town.”
While this increase in the coming year may not be dramatic, it indicates a growth for further science development across NUSD. While the STEM program is still rather new, further expansions are always a possibility.
