Loyalton High · Loyalton

Loyalton High: This school runs ahead of the state average. The bar itself is the harder conversation.

Loyalton posts 48% meeting the standard against 36% statewide — ahead of most, with real headroom above the bar.

700 Fourth Street, 96118·Sierra-Plumas Joint Unified·Loyalton·Grades 9-12·165 students·27% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(530) 993-4454·Website

2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP

	Scope	% Exceeded	% Met+	Grad rate	College readiness	Absence	Suspension
This school	55	15%	48%	100.0%	68.8%	29.7%	6.1%
CA average · High School	44	16%	36%	87.6%	35.4%	30.2%	3.6%

This schoolCA avg

Scope5544

% Exceeded15%16%

% Met+48%36%

Grad rate100.0%87.6%

College readiness68.8%35.4%

Absence29.7%30.2%

Suspension6.1%3.6%

Scope Score

🌱 Building Momentum · Solid

ranked #528 statewide

Loyalton High scores 55 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 76th 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 “48% proficient” and call it done. Loyalton deserves a closer read. The school sits in Loyalton, where one in four students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 2,160 high schools statewide

Slipped from the 85th to the 76th percentile since 2019.

CA Dashboard

ELABlue(Increased Significantly)MathBlue(Increased Significantly)

This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 48% meet the standard today, versus 57% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade

Grade	2019	2022	2023	2024	2025
Grade 7	45%	43%	26%	54%	41%
Grade 8	52%	26%	39%	24%	43%
Grade 11	73%	64%	52%	53%	65%

Math — % met or exceeded, by grade

Grade	2019	2022	2023	2024	2025
Grade 7	42%	40%	26%	31%	31%
Grade 8	36%	21%	38%	40%	43%
Grade 11	40%	36%	40%	22%	31%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade

48%

State 36%

Graduate

100%

State 88%

Pass an AP exam

69%

State 35%

Of 100 students here: 48 are proficient by 11th grade → 100 graduate → 69 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

The 6 things our score weighs

Graduation rate

100.0%

State 87.6%

12.4pp above state avg

Exceeded standard

15.4%

State 15.8%

0.5pp below state avg

College readiness

68.8%

State 35.4%

AP exam pass rate above state avg

Met or exceeded

48.1%

State 35.7%

12.4pp above state avg

Chronic absenteeism

29.7%

State 30.2%

0.5pp below state avg

Suspension rate

6.1%

State 3.6%

2.5pp above state avg

Worth a school visit

Ask how the school challenges kids who clear the standard early. The gap between meeting and exceeding is where pacing shows.

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: 42% met or exceeded

All Students42%

White36% · −6 vs school

Female44% · +2 vs school

Male21% · −21 vs school

Socioeconomically Disadvantaged23% · −19 vs school

7 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 absenteeism29.7% · −0.5pp vs state

Suspension rate6.1% · +2.5pp vs state

Chronic absenteeism by grade band

Grades 7–825.5%

Grades 9–1229.8%

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path

Elementary

Loyalton Elementary

37/100

100% of this boundary feeds here

▼

High School

Loyalton High

55/100

This school

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 : teacher14:1

Teaching staff13 teachers

Avg. experience8.4 years

Fully credentialed58%

First-year teachers8%

Salary Schedule

Teacher salary schedule$45,460 – $103,007

Principal salary$108,560 – $120,347

Superintendent salary$162,500

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Course Breadth

AP courses offered23

AP exam qualifiers11 students

CTE pathway completers9 students

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spending$15,759 · district average

District current expense · FY 2024–25$20,359 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

Instruction58%

Instruction support11%

Student services5%

Administration10%

Buildings & maintenance15%

Other1%

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$15,759 per pupil

2019$14,500 per pupil

2018$15,673 per pupil

2017$14,504 per pupil

2016$14,652 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

White76.4%

District 71.7% · CA 19.9%

Hispanic18.2%

District 19.1% · CA 56.1%

Other4.2%

District 8.7% · CA 9.0%

Black1.2%

District 0.5% · CA 4.8%

Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 27.3% (37pp below CA avg)

Neighborhood — American Community Survey

Median income$54K · CA $85K

Median home value$244K · CA $659K

Bachelor's degree+26% · CA 35%

ZIP population1,328

Median age55 years

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

Worth Knowing

At 165 students, this school is much smaller than the typical California high school (≈1450).

On the state's science test (CAST), 43% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Loyalton High a good high school?

Loyalton High has a Scope Score of 55 out of 100, placing it in the 76th percentile of California high schools and ranked #528 statewide. 15.4% 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 Loyalton High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 48.1% of students at Loyalton High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 15.4% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 32.7% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 15.4% 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. 52 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Loyalton High rank in California?

Loyalton High ranks #528 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 76th 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 Loyalton High?

29.7% of students at Loyalton 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 6.1%. 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 Loyalton High compare to other schools in Loyalton?

Loyalton High scores 55/100 (76th 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 165 students. Use the schools in Loyalton page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

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

At Loyalton High in Loyalton, 40.4% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 44.7% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Loyalton High trails its district average for white students by 4.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (30.8% Math 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.

Your other options

Nearby Elementary Schools

1 within ~3 mi · avg 37

Loyalton Elementary

Sierra-Plumas Joint Unified · 0.2 mi

37Developing

See more on map →

All schools in Loyalton →

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%

100.0%

↑ vs CA 87.6% · 65th pctile

Exceeded standard · 22%

15.4%

↓ vs CA 15.8% · 50th pctile

College readiness · 20%

68.8%

↑ vs CA 35.4% · 69th pctile

Met or exceeded · 18%

48.1%

↑ vs CA 35.7% · 59th pctile

Chronic absenteeism · 5%

29.7%

↑ vs CA 30.2% · 50th pctile

Suspension rate · 5%

6.1%

↓ vs CA 3.6% · 39th pctile

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

ELA	Tested	EXC	MET	NEAR	NOT	MET+	+/CA
Grade 7	29	10%	31%	21%	38%	41%	−6
Grade 8	14	7%	36%	43%	14%	43%	−3
Grade 11	26	19%	46%	27%	8%	65%	+18

Math	Tested	EXC	MET	NEAR	NOT	MET+	+/CA
Grade 7	29	3%	28%	24%	45%	31%	−3
Grade 8	14	14%	29%	36%	21%	43%	+11
Grade 11	26	12%	19%	46%	23%	31%	+7

Science (CAST)	Tested	EXC	MET	NEAR	NOT
Grade 5/8/11	44	7%	36%	55%	2%

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
White	52	40.4%	−4	−21

03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score

School	Dist	Scope	EXC	MET+	Growth	Susp
Loyalton High ←	—	55	15.4%	48.1%	—	6.1%
California average	—	44	15.8%	35.7%	—	3.6%

04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score

Graduation Rate

100.0%

AP Exam Prepared

68.8%

A-G Completion

38.5%

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

College-Going Rate

66.7%

Year	Scope	Pctile	Rank	Exc	Met+	Absent	Susp	Growth
2019	63	85	#307	19.5%	56.5%	4.1%	0.8%	—
2022	60	86	#300	18.2%	50.0%	5.8%	0.7%	—
2023	64	90	#212	31.7%	46.2%	5.7%	0.8%	—
2024	55	76	#515	17.3%	37.6%	32.9%	4.3%	—
2025	55	76	#528	15.4%	48.1%	29.7%	6.1%	—

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	0.0%	30.7%	+30.7pp
Male	0.0%	26.3%	+26.3pp
Filipino	0.0%	—	—
Hispanic/Latino	0.0%	23.3%	+23.3pp
Students with Disabilities	0.0%	43.8%	+43.8pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged	0.0%	42.0%	+42.0pp
All Students	0.0%	28.6%	+28.6pp

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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