Bear River High · Grass Valley

Bear River High: High scores, healthy climate, strong attendance. We looked for a catch — we didn't find one.

Bear River posts 28.8% exceeding the standard — versus 15.8% statewide — with climate numbers better than most. That doesn't make it perfect. It makes it worth a visit to find what numbers can't measure.

11130 Magnolia Road, 95949·Nevada Joint Union High·Grass Valley·Grades 9-12·664 students·25% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(530) 268-3700·Website

2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP

	Scope	% Exceeded	% Met+	Grad rate	College readiness	Absence	Suspension
This school	61	29%	57%	94.0%	77.3%	17.7%	5.6%
CA average · High School	44	16%	36%	87.6%	35.4%	30.2%	3.6%

This schoolCA avg

Scope6144

% Exceeded29%16%

% Met+57%36%

Grad rate94.0%87.6%

College readiness77.3%35.4%

Absence17.7%30.2%

Suspension5.6%3.6%

Scope Score

🌱 Building Momentum · Solid

ranked #306 statewide · #2 of 6 in Nevada Joint Union High

Bear River High scores 61 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 86th 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.

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “57% proficient” and call it done. Bear River deserves a closer read. The school sits in Grass Valley, where one in four students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

Bear River's low-income kids hit 53.1% 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

Has held the 86th-percentile line every tested year since 2019.

CA Dashboard

ELABlue(Increased Significantly)MathGreen(Increased Significantly)

This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 57% meet the standard today, versus 68% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade

Grade	2019	2022	2023	2024	2025
Grade 11	82%	43%	68%	69%	75%

Math — % met or exceeded, by grade

Grade	2019	2022	2023	2024	2025
Grade 11	53%	28%	37%	36%	38%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade

57%

State 36%

Graduate

94%

State 88%

Pass an AP exam

77%

State 35%

Of 100 students here: 57 are proficient by 11th grade → 94 graduate → 77 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

53.1%

Low-income · ELA · met standard

Bear River's most underrated number

53.1% 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.

Bear River low-income: 53.1%State low-income: 38.2%

The 6 things our score weighs

Graduation rate

94.0%

State 87.6%

6.4pp above state avg

Exceeded standard

28.8%

State 15.8%

12.9pp above state avg

College readiness

77.3%

State 35.4%

AP exam pass rate above state avg

Met or exceeded

56.7%

State 35.7%

21.0pp above state avg

Chronic absenteeism

17.7%

State 30.2%

12.5pp below state avg

Suspension rate

5.6%

State 3.6%

1.9pp above state avg

Worth a school visit

Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.

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

All students at this school: 57% met or exceeded

All Students57%

White59% · +2 vs school

Female59% · +2 vs school

Male54% · −3 vs school

Socioeconomically Disadvantaged37% · −20 vs school

Hispanic/Latino43% · −13 vs school

Students with Disabilities13% · −43 vs school

5 of 12 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 absenteeism17.7% · −12.5pp vs state

Suspension rate5.6% · +1.9pp vs state

Chronic absenteeism by grade band

Grades 9–1216.1%

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score

Student : teacher25:1

Teaching staff33 teachers

Avg. experience11.9 years

Fully credentialed86%

Salary Schedule

Teacher salary schedule$58,624 – $112,427

Principal salary$0 – $149,840

Superintendent salary$199,995

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Course Breadth

AP courses offered17

AP exam qualifiers68 students

CTE pathway completers41 students

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spending$18,920 · spent at this school

Federal share$934 per student

$934 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$20,072 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 support10%

Student services14%

Administration9%

Buildings & maintenance12%

Other4%

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$16,445 per pupil

2019$15,655 per pupil

2018$15,562 per pupil

2017$13,353 per pupil

2016$12,128 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

White74.1%

District 71.8% · CA 19.9%

Hispanic17.2%

District 17.6% · CA 56.1%

Other7.7%

District 9.1% · CA 9.0%

Asian0.9%

District 0.9% · CA 10.2%

Black0.1%

District 0.7% · CA 4.8%

GenderFemale 45.8%Male 53.3%Non-binary 0.9%

Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 25.1% (39pp below CA avg)

Neighborhood — American Community Survey

Median income$98K · CA $85K

Median home value$551K · CA $659K

Bachelor's degree+33% · CA 35%

ZIP population20,552

Median age54 years

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

Worth Knowing

At 664 students, this school is much smaller than the typical California high school (≈1450).

On the state's science test (CAST), 46% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Bear River High a good high school?

Bear River High has a Scope Score of 61 out of 100, placing it in the 86th percentile of California high schools and ranked #306 statewide. 28.8% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 12.9 percentage points above 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 Bear River High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 56.7% of students at Bear River High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 28.8% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 28.0% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 28.8% 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. 257 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Bear River High rank in California?

Bear River High ranks #306 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 86th 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 Bear River High?

17.7% of students at Bear River 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 5.6%. 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 Bear River High compare to other schools in Grass Valley?

Bear River High scores 61/100 (86th 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 664 students. Use the schools in Grass Valley page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

How does Bear River High serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Bear River High in Grass Valley, 53.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 45.8% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Bear River High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 7.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (19.4% Math proficient); White students (77.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 55.2 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 32 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

Nearby Middle Schools

1 within ~3 mi · avg 59

Weimar Hills

Placer Hills Union Elementary · 2.3 mi

59Solid

See more on map →

All schools in Grass Valley →

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.

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%

94.0%

↑ vs CA 87.6% · 58th pctile

Exceeded standard · 22%

28.8%

↑ vs CA 15.8% · 64th pctile

College readiness · 20%

77.3%

↑ vs CA 35.4% · 74th pctile

Met or exceeded · 18%

56.7%

↑ vs CA 35.7% · 65th pctile

Chronic absenteeism · 5%

17.7%

↑ vs CA 30.2% · 60th pctile

Suspension rate · 5%

5.6%

↓ vs CA 3.6% · 41th pctile

02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students

ELA	Tested	EXC	MET	NEAR	NOT	MET+	+/CA
Grade 11	129	42%	33%	12%	12%	75%	+28

Math	Tested	EXC	MET	NEAR	NOT	MET+	+/CA
Grade 11	128	16%	23%	27%	34%	38%	+15

Science (CAST)	Tested	EXC	MET	NEAR	NOT
Grade 5/8/11	130	12%	35%	50%	4%

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	32	53.1%	+7	+15
White	98	77.5%	+11	+16
Hispanic/Latino	23	56.5%	+9	+18

03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score

School	Dist	Scope	EXC	MET+	Growth	Susp
Bear River High ←	—	61	28.8%	56.7%	—	5.6%
California average	—	44	15.8%	35.7%	—	3.6%

04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score

Graduation Rate

94.0%

AP Exam Prepared

77.3%

A-G Completion

10.6%

A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility

College-Going Rate

73.3%

Year	Scope	Pctile	Rank	Exc	Met+	Absent	Susp	Growth
2019	66	89	#231	29.8%	67.7%	9.9%	7.1%	—
2022	52	73	#566	13.9%	35.4%	30.4%	5.3%	—
2023	58	83	#376	22.4%	52.6%	22.4%	6.1%	—
2024	58	83	#360	22.0%	52.2%	18.7%	4.5%	—
2025	61	86	#306	28.8%	56.7%	17.7%	5.6%	—

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

Group	2019	2025	Δ
Female	8.4%	14.1%	+5.7pp
Male	7.8%	18.0%	+10.2pp
Hispanic/Latino	13.8%	16.4%	+2.6pp
Two or More Races	8.0%	7.9%	-0.1pp
Students with Disabilities	15.9%	31.9%	+16.0pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged	11.2%	26.7%	+15.5pp
All Students	8.1%	16.1%	+8.0pp

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

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