How does Acalanes Center for Independent Study compare to other high schools in Walnut Creek?

Acalanes Center for Independent Study has a Scope Score of 38.6/100, ranked #1181 among California high schools. 4% of students exceed standard, with a total of 46 students tested across grades and subjects.

What percentage of students exceed standards at Acalanes Center for Independent Study?

4.3% of students at Acalanes Center for Independent Study exceed the state standard on CAASPP assessments, while 30.4% meet or exceed it. The gap between these two numbers reveals whether the school pushes students beyond basic proficiency.

What is the chronic absenteeism rate at Acalanes Center for Independent Study?

73.3% of students at Acalanes Center for Independent Study are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days). This metric reflects school culture and family engagement, and is weighted at 15% in the Scope Score.

Acalanes Center for Independent Study

High School

Acalanes Union High Walnut CreekContra Costa County94595

📍 1963 Tice Valley Boulevard

Scope Score

out of 100

State Rank

of 1,649 California high schools

🌱

Building Momentum

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Scope Scores are SchoolScope's analysis of public data from the California Dept. of Education (CAASPP, chronic absenteeism, suspension rates). They are not official CDE ratings and should not be the sole basis for school decisions. See methodology.

School overview

Enrollment

51 students

Student-Teacher Ratio

7:1

Free/Reduced Lunch

24%

Teachers

7 full-time

College & career readiness

Graduation Rate

90.9%

AP Exam Prepared

36.4%

A-G Completion

33.3%

College-Going Rate

81.8%

Data source: California Department of Education — ACGR, CCI, CGR reports

Dashboard indicators

How this school's scores changed from last year to this year

ELA Year-over-Year

Declined Significantly

-26.6 pts DFS change

Math Year-over-Year

Declined Significantly

-48.2 pts DFS change

Data source: California School Dashboard 2025, ELPAC 2024

Student demographics

Hispanic13.7%

White66.7%

Asian7.8%

Other11.8%

Performance breakdown

Performance breakdown for Acalanes Center for Independent Study
Category	Percentage
Exceeded Standard	4.3%
Met Standard	26.1%
Below Standard	69.6%

Score Factors

Helping

✓Graduation rate: 90.9%

3.5pp above state avg (state avg 87.4%)

25% weight

✓College readiness: 36.4%

AP exam pass rate above state avg (state avg 35.3%)

20% weight

✓Suspension rate: 1.1%

3.0pp below state avg (state avg 4.1%)

5% weight

Holding Back

▼Exceeded standard: 4.3%

11.4pp below state avg (state avg 15.7%)

20% weight

▼Met or exceeded: 30.4%

4.3pp below state avg (state avg 34.8%)

15% weight

▼Chronic absenteeism: 73.3%

39.0pp above state avg (state avg 34.3%)

10% weight

▼Baseline proficiency: 30.4%

Below state baseline (state avg 34.8%)

5% weight

Unlike traditional school ratings, we show our work. Every factor, its weight, and how this school compares to the state average — so you can decide what matters most to your family. The high school Scope Score is weighted across 7 dimensions. See full methodology →

What other rankings don't show you

Most rating sites report "30% proficient" for Acalanes Center for Independent Study and stop there. Here's what that number hides:

4.3% of students exceeded standard while 26.1% met it. That exceeded rate is 11.4 points below the state average of 15.7%. That's 36.3 points below the Acalanes Union High district average of 40.6%. The 2 nearby schools within ~3 miles average 43.2% exceeded — 38.9 points higher. The gap between "met" and "exceeded" can reveal how much a school's curriculum challenges students beyond proficiency.

The graduation rate is 90.9% — above the state target. 33.3% of students complete A-G requirements for UC/CSU eligibility. 81.8% of graduates go on to college within a year.

Chronic absenteeism is 73.3%, above the state average of 34.3%.

Why the exceeded vs. met split matters →

A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means