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Sierra High (Continuation) · Truckee

Sierra High (Continuation): The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.

Sierra 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.

11661 Donner Pass Road, 96161 (opens in new tab)·Tahoe-Truckee Unified·Truckee·Grades 9-12·24 students·42% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(530) 582-2640·Website
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.
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope2844
% Exceeded9%16%
% Met+36%36%
Grad rate71.4%86.6%
College readiness0.0%33.9%
Absence47.8%30.2%
Suspension2.7%3.6%
Scope Score
28
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #1,724 statewide · #3 of 3 in Tahoe-Truckee Unified

Sierra High (Continuation) scores 28 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 20th 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 “36% proficient” and call it done. Sierra High (Continuation) deserves a closer read. The school sits in Truckee, where two 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 seven-year arc

Percentile among 2,160 high schools statewide

Climbed from the 10th to the 20th percentile since 2019 — past roughly 100 high schools.

CA Dashboard
ELARedMathRed

The pandemic drop is behind this school: 36% of students meet the standard today, above the 8% who did in 2019.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192025
Grade 1110%36%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192023
Grade 115%9%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
36%
State 36%
Graduate
71%
State 87%
Pass an AP exam
0%
State 34%

Of 100 students here: 36 are proficient by 11th grade → 71 graduate → 0 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

The 6 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
71.4%
State 86.6%
15.2pp below state avg
Exceeded standard
9.1%
State 15.8%
6.8pp below state avg
College readiness
0.0%
State 33.9%
AP exam pass rate below state avg
Met or exceeded
36.4%
State 35.7%
0.7pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
47.8%
State 30.2%
17.6pp above state avg
Suspension rate
2.7%
State 3.6%
0.9pp 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.

  • Ask how the school follows up when a student starts missing days — chronic absence often starts outside the classroom, not inside it.
  • Ask what share of students complete the full college-prep course sequence, and who gets steered into it.
  • 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.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 47.8%, district 16.4%, state 30.2%47.8% · +17.6pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 2.7%, district —, state 3.6%2.7% · −0.9pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1291.9%

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path
High School
Sierra High (Continuation)
28/100
This school

Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 6:1, district 20:16:1
Teaching staff6 teachers
Avg. experience13.7 years
Fully credentialed78%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$66,810 – $138,430
Principal salary$174,263 – $194,871
Superintendent salary$252,326

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Course Breadth

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $62,128, CA average $14,491$62,128 · spent at this school
Federal share$147 per student

$147 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$27,067 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
Instruction56%
Instruction support12%
Student services13%
Administration7%
Buildings & maintenance11%
Other2%

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$18,885 per pupil
2019$18,129 per pupil
2018$18,822 per pupil
2017$16,401 per pupil
2016$15,681 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic75.0%
District 35.4% · CA 56.1%
White20.8%
District 57.6% · CA 19.9%
Other4.2%
District 6.3% · CA 9.0%
GenderFemale 25.0%Male 75.0%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 41.7% (22pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$132K · CA $85K
Median home value$991K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+62% · CA 35%
ZIP population19,634
Median age43 years

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

Worth Knowing

At 24 students, this school is much smaller than the typical California high school (≈1450).

Frequently asked questions

Is Sierra High (Continuation) a good high school?

Sierra High (Continuation) has a Scope Score of 28 out of 100, placing it in the 20th percentile of California high schools and ranked #1,724 statewide. 9.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 6.8 percentage points below 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 Sierra High (Continuation)'s CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 36.4% of students at Sierra High (Continuation) met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 9.1% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 27.3% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 9.1% 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. 11 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Sierra High (Continuation) rank in California?

Sierra High (Continuation) ranks #1,724 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 20th 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 Sierra High (Continuation)?

47.8% of students at Sierra High (Continuation) are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 30.2%. The suspension rate is 2.7%. 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 Sierra High (Continuation) compare to other schools in Truckee?

Sierra High (Continuation) scores 28/100 (20th 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 24 students. Use the schools in Truckee page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

Your other options

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%
71.4%
↓ vs CA 86.6% · 31th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
9.1%
↓ vs CA 15.8% · 43th pctile
College readiness · 20%
0.0%
↓ vs CA 33.9% · 29th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
36.4%
↑ vs CA 35.7% · 50th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
47.8%
↓ vs CA 30.2% · 36th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
2.7%
↑ vs CA 3.6% · 54th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 11119%27%55%9%36%−11
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 118
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Sierra High (Continuation) ←289.1%36.4%2.7%
Tahoe Truckee High0.3 mi5930.1%59.2%2.9%
California average4415.8%35.7%3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
71.4%
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
30.8%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20191910#18492.5%7.5%52.0%13.6%
2023199#19470.0%9.1%49.6%4.4%
20252820#17249.1%36.4%47.8%2.7%
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
What we can't show
  • — Subgroup results are suppressed for small student counts (fewer than 15 tested), following CDE privacy rules.
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female70.0%
Male71.8%88.9%+17.1pp
Hispanic/Latino76.3%96.2%+19.9pp
Students with Disabilities93.8%
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged72.5%90.9%+18.4pp
All Students71.2%91.9%+20.7pp
09Advanced coursework — 2020-21 federal civil-rights snapshotstructural, dated — newest published; biennial
MeasureThis school
AP offerednot offered
AP course countnot reported
AP enrollmentnot reported
IB participationnot offered
Dual enrollmentnot offered
Algebra I in grade 8not reported
Calculus sections0
Physics sections0
Chemistry sections0
Total enrollment (CRDC)21

Shown, never scored — no entry to any composite. NULL/reserve codes render "not reported," never a fabricated zero. The equity block above this table (§4) is the per-subgroup view of this same collection.

10College destinationsclass of 2023 · CDE 12-mo College-Going Rate
DestinationCompleters% (derived)
University of California00.0%
California State University00.0%
California community college311.5%
In-state private00.0%
Out-of-state, 4-year13.9%
Out-of-state, 2-year415.4%
Not enrolled1869.2%

26 completers, class of 2023 · state-reported college-going rate 31% · % column is computed by SchoolScope (count ÷ completers), not a CDE-native rate · a missing cell is CDE suppression, never a fabricated zero · source: CDE 12-mo CGR, 2023 cohort (the newest published), National Student Clearinghouse match — a different, older vintage than the fall 2025 UC admissions rows in tables 06-07 above.

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 · CRDC 2020-21 (biennial; next expected 2021-22) · CDE 12-mo CGR 2023 cohort, National Student Clearinghouse match · 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