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Amador High · Sutter Creek

Amador High: 40% of kids clear the bar — ahead of the state's 36%. But suspensions run the state rate.

Amador posts 40% meeting the standard, against 36% across the state. The number below is the one to ask about on a visit.

330 Spanish Street, 95685 (opens in new tab)·Amador County Unified·Sutter Creek·Grades 9-12·615 students·34% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(209) 257-7300
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope5044
% Exceeded16%16%
% Met+40%36%
Grad rate99.3%87.6%
College readiness60.0%35.4%
Absence28.4%30.2%
Suspension8.8%3.6%
Scope Score
50
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #786 statewide · #2 of 4 in Amador County Unified

Amador High scores 50 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 64th percentile of 2,160 California high schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

🌱 Building Momentum — This label means the data doesn't clearly sort the school one way or the other — ask what the school is proud of, and what it's working on.

Most rating sites would stop at “40% proficient” and call it done. Amador deserves a closer read. The school sits in Sutter Creek, where one in three students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

Amador's low-income kids hit 60.0% proficiency in ELA — a number the same group reaches at 38.2% statewide. If you're trying to read past zip-code-driven test scores, that's the signal worth weighing.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 2,160 high schools statewide

Slipped from the 74th to the 64th percentile since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELAOrange(Declined Significantly)MathRed(Declined Significantly)

This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 40% meet the standard today, versus 47% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1163%72%73%71%63%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1131%32%26%30%16%

The story this school is actually telling

The floor · met or exceeded
39.8%

of students met or exceeded the standard, versus 35.7% statewide.

↑ what most “best schools” lists are measuring
The catch · suspensions
8.8%

of students were suspended, versus 3.6% statewide — a school visit will tell you more than this number.

↓ the part no ranking site shows you
Proficient by 11th grade
40%
State 36%
Graduate
99%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
60%
State 35%

Of 100 students here: 40 are proficient by 11th grade → 99 graduate → 60 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

60.0%
Low-income · ELA · met standard

Amador's most underrated number

60.0% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide. That's the strongest kind of signal a school can post: it holds across income lines.

Amador low-income: 60.0%State low-income: 38.2%

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
99.3%
State 87.6%
11.7pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
15.7%
State 15.8%
0.1pp below state avg
College readiness
60.0%
State 35.4%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
39.8%
State 35.7%
4.1pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
28.4%
State 30.2%
1.8pp below state avg
Suspension rate
8.8%
State 3.6%
5.2pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
7.1%
State 18.0%
10.8pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask about the discipline philosophy and what a typical suspension is for. Numbers can't tell you whether a campus feels strict or chaotic — a visit can.

  • Ask what typically leads to a suspension, and what happens before it gets there.
  • Ask whether extra support — tutoring, counseling, small groups — reaches kids across income lines, not just the students already ahead.
  • Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom — watch how the teacher handles a student who's stuck.
  • Ask to tour while school's in session, and notice how hallways and transitions feel — culture shows up between classes, not just in them.
  • Ask how the school communicates with families when a child starts to struggle.
  • Ask what a typical day looks like for a new student in the first few weeks.

How every group of students does here

At Amador High in Sutter Creek, 60.0% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 28.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Amador High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 32.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (15.8% Math proficient); White students (61.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 44.3 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 56 students tested.

All students at this school: 40% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 40%, district —, state 36%40%
WhiteWhite: this school 38%, district 32%, state 56%38% · −1 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 44%, district 32%, state 44%44% · +5 vs school
MaleMale: this school 35%, district 27%, state 42%35% · −5 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 38%, district 23%, state 32%38% · −2 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 38%, district 24%, state 32%38% · −2 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 12%, district 13%, state 15%12% · −27 vs school

7 of 14 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 28.4%, district 27.0%, state 30.2%28.4% · −1.8pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 8.8%, district —, state 3.6%8.8% · +5.2pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1228.1%

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

K-12 Feeder Path

Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 21:1, district 23:121:1
Teaching staff35 teachers
Avg. experience13.3 years
Fully credentialed91%
First-year teachers3%
Course Breadth
AP courses offered9
AP exam qualifiers39 students
CTE pathway completers17 students

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $20,452, CA average $14,815$20,452 · spent at this school
Federal share$15 per student

$15 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$15,715 per student

The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.

Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction51%
Instruction support14%
Student services11%
Administration8%
Buildings & maintenance13%
Other3%

District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.

district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$11,146 per pupil
2019$9,176 per pupil
2018$9,890 per pupil
2017$9,411 per pupil
2016$9,154 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

White66.2%
District 62.4% · CA 19.9%
Hispanic25.4%
District 25.6% · CA 56.1%
Other7.6%
District 10.8% · CA 9.0%
Asian0.5%
District 0.6% · CA 10.2%
Black0.3%
District 0.5% · CA 4.8%
GenderFemale 50.1%Male 49.3%Non-binary 0.7%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 34.3% (29pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$84K · CA $85K
Median home value$569K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+27% · CA 35%
ZIP population4,690
Median age54 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level

Worth Knowing

At 615 students, this school is much smaller than the typical California high school (≈1450).

On the state's science test (CAST), 36% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Amador High a good high school?

Amador High has a Scope Score of 50 out of 100, placing it in the 64th percentile of California high schools and ranked #786 statewide. 15.7% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is near the California average of 15.8%. The Scope Score weights 7 dimensions for high schools: graduation rate (25%), exceeded standard (22%), college/career readiness (20%), met or exceeded (proficient) (18%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.

What are Amador High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 39.8% of students at Amador High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 15.7% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 24.0% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 15.7% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 301 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Amador High rank in California?

Amador High ranks #786 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 64th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.

What is the attendance and school culture like at Amador High?

28.4% of students at Amador High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 30.2%. The suspension rate is 8.8%. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.

How does Amador High compare to other schools in Sutter Creek?

Amador High scores 50/100 (64th percentile) among California high schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 615 students. Use the schools in Sutter Creek page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

How does Amador High serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Amador High in Sutter Creek, 60.0% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 28.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Amador High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 32.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (15.8% Math proficient); White students (61.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 44.3 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 56 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.

Your other options


For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Graduation rate · 25%
99.3%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 64th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
15.7%
↓ vs CA 15.8% · 50th pctile
College readiness · 20%
60.0%
↑ vs CA 35.4% · 64th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
39.8%
↑ vs CA 35.7% · 53th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
28.4%
↑ vs CA 30.2% · 51th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
8.8%
↓ vs CA 3.6% · 27th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
7.1%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 36th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1114927%36%21%16%63%+16
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 111525%12%21%63%16%−7
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/111508%28%57%7%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged5660.0%+32+22
White9261.5%+23−0
Hispanic/Latino4461.4%+32+23
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Amador High ←5015.7%39.8%8.8%
Independence High (Continuation)1.5 mi220.0%0.0%5.2%
California average4415.8%35.7%3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
99.3%
AP Exam Prepared
60.0%
A-G Completion
27.2%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
54.4%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20195674#54117.3%46.9%18.3%8.3%
20225781#40523.0%51.9%38.9%7.3%
20235781#41724.8%49.3%30.8%7.9%
20245577#50119.0%50.1%30.1%8.1%
20255064#78615.7%39.8%28.4%8.8%
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female16.5%27.6%+11.1pp
Male18.8%27.8%+9.0pp
Hispanic/Latino18.3%28.7%+10.4pp
American Indian/Alaska Native23.1%36.4%+13.3pp
Two or More Races15.7%30.6%+14.9pp
Students with Disabilities26.7%41.6%+14.9pp
Homeless54.5%67.9%+13.4pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged24.7%41.9%+17.2pp
All Students17.6%28.1%+10.5pp
English Learners36.8%
Military-Connected29.2%
EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,160 high schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

SchoolScope scores and verdicts are our interpretation of public California Department of Education data — independent analysis, not an official rating. How we analyze · Request a correction