School Profile · Ceres
Argus High (Continuation): The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.
Argus High (Continuation) posts low test scores — and test scores are one lens among several. If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.
2555 Lawrence Street, 95307·Ceres Unified·Ceres·Grades 9-12·189 students·93% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(209) 556-1800
Continuation school — a small alternative high school designed for students at risk of not graduating. Focuses on credit recovery and flexible scheduling. Test scores and college-readiness rates are not directly comparable to comprehensive high schools.
Scope Score
20
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #1,584 statewide · #5 of 5 in Ceres Unified
Argus High (Continuation) scores 20 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 9th percentile of 1,739 California high schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).
Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →
Most rating sites would stop at “1% proficient” and call it done. Argus High (Continuation) deserves a closer read. The school sits in Ceres, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
Test scores are one lens, and at this school they're a rough one right now. The sections below show the fuller picture — including the parts that are working.
The story this school is actually telling
Proficient by 11th grade
1%
State 35%
Graduate
72%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
0%
State 36%
Of 100 students here: 1 are proficient by 11th grade → 72 graduate → 0 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.
The 7 things our score weighs
Graduation rate
71.5%
State 87.6%
16.1pp below state avg
Exceeded standard
0.0%
State 15.5%
15.5pp below state avg
College readiness
0.0%
State 35.5%
AP exam pass rate below state avg
Met or exceeded
0.9%
State 34.6%
33.7pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
70.7%
State 32.1%
38.6pp above state avg
Suspension rate
3.1%
State 4.0%
1.0pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
9.1%
State 17.7%
8.6pp below state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask what changed in the last two years, and what the school is asking families for. Growth shows up in these numbers a year or two after it shows up in classrooms.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
▼
Middle
▼
High School
Argus High (Continuation)
20/100
This school
Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.
Your other options
Nearby High Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 56
Whitmore Charter High
Ceres Unified · 0.9 mi
Solid
58/100
Central Valley High
Ceres Unified · 0.9 mi
Solid
56/100
Ceres High
Ceres Unified · 0.6 mi
Solid
53/100
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
Reyn Franca
Main St · Nonsectarian · Grades 3-12 · 32 students
8:1Private9.2 mi
Stanislaus Academy
Youngstown Rd · Nonsectarian · Grades 9-12 · 12 students
12:1Private10.8 mi
Turlock Christian Jr/sr High School
E Monte Vista Ave · Brethren · Grades Pre-K-12 · 540 students
11:1Private8 mi
Central Catholic High School
S Carpenter Rd · Roman Catholic · Grades 9-12 · 379 students
17:1Private5.4 mi
Modesto Christian School
Sisk Rd · Brethren · Grades Pre-K-12 · 247 students
10:1Private11.6 mi
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic88.4%
White6.9%
Asian2.1%
Black0.5%
Other2.1%
GenderFemale 44.4%Male 55.6%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
189
1,261 below CA avg (~1,450)
Free/Reduced Lunch
93%
29pp above CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
19:1
2 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$25,214
District avg: $14,347 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
9.1% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$69,779 – $139,451
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Argus High (Continuation) in Ceres, 2.0% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 36.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Argus High (Continuation) trails its district average for low-income students by 35.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (0.0% Math proficient); Hispanic students (0.0% ELA proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 52 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Disabilities+15.0pp
85.7% vs 70.7% overall · n=28
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income53 tested
ELA 2.0%·Math 0.0%· -35.0pp vs district
Hispanic48 tested
ELA 0.0%·Math 0.0%· -37.3pp vs district
English Learner18 tested
ELA 0.0%·Math 0.0%· -11.1pp vs district
Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$81K
$4K below CA median
Median Home Value
$430K
$230K below CA median
Bachelor's+
13%
22pp below CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
14.8 years avg experience
10 teachers · 10% second-year
Teacher Credentials
77% fully credentialed
1.9% on intern/emergency permit
Source: CDE SARC, 2024-25
Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →
For the data nerdsEvery number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
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%
71.5%
↓ vs CA 87.6% · 31th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
0.0%
↓ vs CA 15.5% · 34th pctile
College readiness · 20%
0.0%
↓ vs CA 35.5% · 29th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
0.9%
↓ vs CA 34.6% · 27th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
70.7%
↓ vs CA 32.1% · 19th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
3.1%
↑ vs CA 4.0% · 54th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
9.1%
↓ vs CA 17.7% · 44th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 56 | 0% | 2% | 16% | 82% | 2% | −45 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 57 | 0% | 0% | 4% | 96% | 0% | −23 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 61 | 0% | 3% | 54% | 43% |
CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.
| Subgroup · ELA | Tested | MET+ | vs district | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 52 | 2.0% | −35 | −36 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 47 | 0.0% | −37 | −39 |
| English Learners | 17 | 0.0% | −11 | −10 |
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argus High (Continuation) ← | — | 20 | 0.0% | 0.9% | — | 3.1% |
| Whitmore Charter High | 0.9 mi | 58 | 7.7% | 36.5% | — | 3.9% |
| Central Valley High | 0.9 mi | 56 | 12.8% | 39.7% | — | 8.3% |
| Ceres High | 0.6 mi | 53 | 15.7% | 40.7% | — | 10.1% |
| California average | — | 47 | 15.5% | 34.6% | — | 4.0% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
71.5%
AP Exam Prepared
Not offered
This school may not offer AP courses
A-G Completion
0.0%
This school may not offer A-G courses
College-Going Rate
36.3%
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #1528 → #1541 → #1624 → #1687 → #1584
What we can't show
- — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 36 points in ELA — worth asking how the school is closing that gap.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=1,739 high schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means
Frequently asked questions
Is Argus High (Continuation) a good high school?
Argus High (Continuation) has a Scope Score of 20 out of 100, placing it in the 9th percentile of California high schools and ranked #1,584 statewide. 0.0% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 15.5 percentage points below the California average of 15.5%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for high schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Argus High (Continuation)'s CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 0.9% of students at Argus High (Continuation) met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 0.0% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 0.9% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 0.0% 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. 113 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Argus High (Continuation) rank in California?
Argus High (Continuation) ranks #1,584 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 9th 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 Argus High (Continuation)?
70.7% of students at Argus High (Continuation) are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 32.1%. The suspension rate is 3.1%. 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 Argus High (Continuation) compare to other schools in Ceres?
Argus High (Continuation) scores 20/100 (9th 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 189 students. Use the schools in Ceres page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does Argus High (Continuation) serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Argus High (Continuation) in Ceres, 2.0% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 36.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Argus High (Continuation) trails its district average for low-income students by 35.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (0.0% Math proficient); Hispanic students (0.0% ELA proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 52 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.