Decked out in class colors, hundreds of students pack into all corners of the gym. Girls flaunt their bright tutus while guys wear bandanas around their heads, all of the students marked with the same two lines of face paint on their cheekbones. The building radiates with applause and cheer during the rally.

This isn’t the Falcon’s nest, though; it’s the Wildcat den, and among the hundreds are some who were Falcons only last year.

In recent years, a number of Saratoga High School students have transferred to Los Gatos High School. The administration has refused requests to disclose the number of transfers, but based on the information the Falcon has gathered, around a dozen students switched to Los Gatos this school year.

Previously, though, Saratoga students were rejected from transferring to Los Gatos because of Los Gatos’s overcrowded population, according to Jane Marashian, administrative assistant to district superintendent Bob Mistele. For the ‘11-12 and ‘12-13 school years, the district did not accept any open enrollment applications from students wishing to go from SHS to LGHS.

The policy, however, was lifted in 2013-14, and since then, the flow of transfers from Saratoga to Los Gatos has remained steady.

“Prior to the time when Open Enrollment Transfer Applications were to be accepted for the ‘13-14 school year, we noticed that enrollment at SHS was also growing,” Marashian said. “At that point, it made sense to allow transfers in both directions between schools.”

Students who spoke to the Falcon about their decision to transfer to Los Gatos cited unhappiness with Saratoga High’s lack of spirit and overheated academic atmosphere.

One such student is junior Bradley Newton, who transferred at the beginning of this school year.

“Los Gatos is a better fit for me because I aspire to do more with my high school career than just try and get an A on every possible assignment,” Newton said.

Newton said he moved to Los Gatos because it has a better balance between academics and school spirit than Saratoga, where the primary concern of many students are their test scores.

In comparison to Saratoga students, more Los Gatos students showcase their school spirit by dressing up for spirit days and rallies, he said.

“During the rallies at Los Gatos, the teachers wear ear plugs because the student body gets that loud,” Newton said. “Everybody is there contributing.”

At Saratoga, Newton feels that too many students avoid these activities, choosing either to utilize tutorial time to talk to teachers  or  to hang out in the quad.

Furthermore, whenever Newton talked with his former classmates, the conversations centered around tests, quizzes and homework, obligations that he did not want to be reminded of on an hourly basis.

Newton also finds the way Los Gatos divides the school day is more stress-relieving. Los Gatos, unlike Saratoga, has a full block schedule where each day consists of three classes and a tutorial.

Although Newton is also a competitive swimmer, he said he did not switch to Los Gatos for the extra emphasis placed on sports.

By contrast, sophomore Emily King transferred in order to focus on field hockey and lacrosse at a school known for its strong athletics programs.

King also did not appreciate how Saratoga students’ lives seemed to revolve solely around grades.

In addition, King found that the students at Los Gatos are less exclusive about who their friends are.

“I was expecting people here to be kind and not too cliquey like it is at [Saratoga],” King said. “Los Gatos has definitely lived up to my expectations.”

Unlike King and Newton, juniors Kavon Khorasani and Gina Kim moved to Los Gatos because of its location. Khorasani transferred because he lives in Los Gatos, and wanted an easier commute, while Kim moved because of her parents’ jobs.

Khorasani has found that he feels less pressured at Los Gatos, even though he is taking as many AP and honors classes as he would have at Saratoga. He attributes this to the more comforting environment at Los Gatos.

“I just enjoy how friendly everyone is,” Khorasani said.  ”You walk in the halls and everyone is so nice to you, even people you just met.”

Kim, on the other hand, still has mixed feelings about her new school.

“I'm not sure if Los Gatos is a better fit for me,” Kim said. “I thought the homework load would be decreased. But actually, Los Gatos gives a fair amount of classwork and homework compared to Saratoga.”