CDE data shows that graduation and dropout rates continue to confirm that there is a growing achievement gap between Latino, Black, and English learner students. The achievement gap refers to the disparities in academic performance associated with race and class.
According to data provided by the National Center for Education Statistics in 2018, of the 48 states where data was collected, Black males remain at the bottom of four year high school graduation rates.
Closing the achievement gap earlier in the schooling process, such as during elementary school, can improve high school graduation rates and decrease drop-out rates. Individually tailored student support is one way that has been proposed to accomplish this.
In The Long-Term Impact of Systemic Student Support in Elementary School: Reducing High School Dropout, Terrence J. Lee-St. John, a Biostatistician at the Research Department of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, says “students often fail to complete high school for complex reasons that often manifest long before they reach high school. Individually tailored student support during elementary school can lead to lasting and meaningful effects.”
| Ranking | School | Drop-out rate | 2016-17 Drop-out rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Millennium High Alternative | 0 | 0 | |
| 1 | Piedmont High School | 0 | 0 | |
| 1 | Amador County Special Education | 0 | -- | |
| 1 | Biggs High School | 0 | 6.5 | |
| 1 | Durham High School | 0 | 1.2 | |
| 1 | Maxwell Sr High School | 0 | 3.4 | |
| 1 | Pierce High School | 0 | 1 | |
| 1 | Mid Valley High School (Continuation) | 0 | 11.8 | |
| 1 | Miramonte High School | 0 | 0.7 | |
| 1 | Middle College High School | 0 | 0 | |
| 1 | California High School | 0 | 0.2 | |
| 1 | Monte Vista High School | 0 | 0.5 | |
| 1 | Kingsburg High School | 0 | 0.8 | |
| 1 | Parlier High School | 0 | 1.5 | |
| 1 | Sierra High School | 0 | 0 | |
| 1 | Hamilton High School | 0 | 0 | |
| 1 | Princeton Junior-Senior High School | 0 | -- | |
| 1 | McKinleyville High School | 0 | 4.7 | |
| 1 | Hoopa Valley High School | 0 | 0 | |
| 1 | South Fork Junior - Senior High School | 0 | 2.7 | |
| 1 | Ferndale High School | 0 | 0 | |
| 1 | Big Pine High School | 0 | -- | |
| 1 | Bishop Union High School | 0 | 1.5 | |
| 1 | Boron Junior-Senior High School | 0 | 2.4 | |
| 1 | Desert Junior-Senior High School | 0 | 0 | |
| … | ||||
| 1979 | Wellington M. Smith Jr. | 35.7 | 60 | |
| 1979 | Montebello Community Day | 35.7 | 32.3 | |
| 1985 | Dewolf Continuation High School | 35.8 | 22.4 | |
| 1986 | Learning Works | 36.1 | 33.9 | |
| 1987 | Gateway High School (Continuation) | 36.4 | 57.1 | |
| 1987 | Cambridge Continuation High School | 36.4 | 44.8 | |
| 1987 | Community Collaborative Charter | 36.4 | 47.3 | |
| 1990 | Taylion High Desert Academy/Adelanto | 36.8 | 50.4 | |
| 1991 | Options for Youth-Victorville Charter | 36.9 | 39.4 | |
| 1991 | Stanislaus Alternative Charter | 36.9 | 42.3 | |
| 1993 | Robert H. Lewis Continuation | 37 | 37.5 | |
| 1994 | California Virtual Academy San Mateo | 37.1 | 36.8 | |
| 1994 | Yuba City Independence Academy | 37.1 | 35.3 | |
| 1996 | California Virtual Academy @ Sonoma | 37.2 | 41.8 | |
| 1996 | Elm High School | 37.2 | 44.6 | |
| 1996 | Insight School of California | 37.2 | 37.1 | |
| 1999 | Central High School (Continuation) | 37.3 | 27.1 | |
| 2000 | Valley View High School (Continuation) | 37.4 | 28.7 | |
| 2001 | Yosemite High School (Continuation) | 37.5 | 40.5 | |
| 2001 | Monte Vista High School | 37.5 | 0.5 | |
| 2001 | Hillcrest at Youth Services Center | 37.5 | 38.9 | |
| 2001 | Gateway Educational Options | 37.5 | 33.3 | |
| 2001 | Golden Gate Community Charter | 37.5 | 37.5 | |
| 2001 | EPIC Charter (Excellence Performance Innovation Citizenship) | 37.5 | 38.1 | |
| 2007 | El Centro Jr./Sr. High School | 37.7 | 52 | |
| 2008 | Opportunities for Learning - Santa Clarita | 37.9 | 29.5 | |
| 2009 | County Collaborative Charter | 38 | 35.3 | |
| 2010 | Sunrise High School (Continuation) | 38.1 | 28.6 | |
| 2011 | Valley Center Prep | 38.5 | 6.7 | |
| 2011 | Placer County Court Schools | 38.5 | 35.7 | |
| 2013 | Merced County Juvenile Court | 38.8 | 61.3 | |
| 2014 | Alameda County Community | 38.9 | 36.8 | |
| 2014 | North Valley High School (Continuation) | 38.9 | 34.8 | |
| 2014 | S.F. County Opportunity (Hilltop) | 38.9 | 20 | |
| 2014 | Shasta County Juvenile Court | 38.9 | 14.3 | |
| 2014 | Riverside County Education Academy - Indio | 38.9 | -- | |
| 2019 | Insight @ San Joaquin | 39 | 29.5 | |
| 2020 | TRACE | 39.1 | 14.3 | |
| 2021 | San Antonio High School (Continuation) | 39.2 | 9.4 | |
| 2022 | Endeavor Alternative | 39.5 | 26.1 | |
| 2022 | Grossmont Middle College High School | 39.5 | 5 | |
| 2022 | El Puente | 39.5 | 26 | |
| 2022 | eCademy Charter at Crane | 39.5 | 11.3 | |
| 2026 | Rare Earth High School (Continuation) | 40 | 25 | |
| 2026 | Zane Grey Continuation | 40 | 39 | |
| 2026 | Mendocino County Community | 40 | 56.3 | |
| 2026 | Future Bound Independent Study Secondary School | 40 | 24 | |
| 2026 | OUSD Community Day | 40 | -- | |
| 2026 | Jack London Community Day | 40 | 35.7 | |
| 2032 | Puente Hills High School | 40.4 | 26.9 | |
| 2033 | Kern County Juvenile Court | 40.5 | 54.3 | |
| … | ||||
| 2150 | Santa Cruz County Court | 74.3 | 36.6 | |
| 2151 | S.F. County Special Education | 75 | -- | |
| 2152 | San Diego County Court | 75.3 | 78.3 | |
| 2153 | San Bernardino County Juvenile Detention and Assessment Center | 75.7 | 68.9 | |
| 2154 | Highlands Community Charter | 76.2 | 60.9 | |
| 2155 | Solano County Community | 76.5 | 78.9 | |
| 2156 | MethodSchools | 77.8 | 45.8 | |
| 2157 | Center for Alternative Learning | 78.9 | 78.9 | |
| 2158 | Gateway College and Career Academy | 81.6 | 40.4 | |
| 2159 | Clovis Community Day Secondary School | 83.3 | -- | |
| 2160 | Sonoma County Court | 84.6 | 67.6 | |
| 2161 | EPIC de Cesar Chavez | 85.3 | 63.5 | |
| 2162 | Dan Jacobs | 86.7 | -- | |
| 2162 | Santa Cruz County Career Advancement Charter | 86.7 | -- | |
| 2164 | SIATech Academy South | 87.7 | 55.2 | |
| 2165 | Sonoma County Alternative Education Programs | 88.9 | 36.4 | |
| 2166 | Opportunity Youth Academy | 89.1 | 42.6 | |
| 2167 | Hart-Ransom Academic Charter | 89.5 | 4.5 | |
| 2168 | Escuela Popular/Center for Training and Careers Family Learning | 90.1 | 90.1 | |
| 2168 | Santa Clara County Special Education | 90.1 | 20.3 | |
| 2170 | Siskiyou County Special Education | 90.9 | -- | |
| 2170 | Oroville High Community Day | 90.9 | 90.9 | |
| 2172 | Family First Charter | 92.7 | 71.6 | |
| 2173 | Civicorps Corpsmember Academy | 93.3 | 31.8 | |
| 2174 | New Opportunities Charter | 96.5 | 93.8 | |
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