Superintendent's Biography
Xavier De La Torre, Ed.D., is Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools.
Prior to taking that position, he was superintendent of the Socorro Independent School District in El Paso, Texas. While he was there, the district was a two-time finalist for the prestigious Broad Prize for Excellence in Urban Education. He also led a facilities bond campaign that secured nearly $300 million dollars to build new schools in response to accelerated growth in the Socorro district.
Prior to his time in Socorro, he spent four years as associate superintendent of Human Resources in the Elk Grove Unified School District near Sacramento. Before joining Elk Grove, he provided leadership over all aspects of personnel and labor relations as the associate superintendent of Human Resources in the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District.
In 1999, Dr. De La Torre opened a new, state-of-the-art, comprehensive high school in Porterville, and served as its first principal for five years. During the period of time, Granite Hills High School saw nearly a 100-point increase in its Academic Performance Index, outperforming neighboring high schools although it served the most economically depressed area in the city.
Prior to his career as a school administrator and school leader, Dr. De La Torre spent 10 years in the classroom as a social studies and Spanish teacher. In 1993, he was honored as Teacher of the Year in the Hamilton Unified School District. He has been named Coach of the Year on four different occasions for his work as a varsity baseball coach and a varsity football coach. He also was the recipient of the 2005 Edgar L. Morphet Award from the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (NCPEA).
Dr. De La Torre earned a B.A. from California State University-Chico; an M.A. from the University of San Francisco; and his Ed.D. from UC-Davis. He is originally from northern California. He is married to Amy, an elementary school teacher and personal trainer. They have four children.
Date last updated: June 28, 2012