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School Profile · Rancho Cordova

Walnutwood High (Independent Study): No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.

Walnutwood High (Independent Study) posts 26% meeting the standard and 6.9% exceeding it, against 36% and 15.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

10848 Gadsten Way, 95670 (opens in new tab)·Folsom-Cordova Unified·Rancho Cordova·Grades K-12·221 students·46% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(916) 294-9105·Website
Alternative school — serves students who benefit from a non-traditional educational setting. Scores are not directly comparable to comprehensive schools.
Scope Score
37
🤝 Culture First · Developing
ranked #1,440 statewide · #3 of 7 in Folsom-Cordova Unified

Walnutwood High (Independent Study) scores 37 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 33rd 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 →

Most rating sites would stop at “26% proficient” and call it done. Walnutwood High (Independent Study) deserves a closer read. The school sits in Rancho Cordova, where two in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The headline number: 12.0% chronic absenteeism — versus 30.2% statewide. Attendance is the quietest strong signal a school can post.

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
26%
State 36%
Graduate
83%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
25%
State 35%

Of 100 students here: 26 are proficient by 11th grade → 83 graduate → 25 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
83.1%
State 87.6%
4.5pp below state avg
Exceeded standard
6.9%
State 15.8%
9.0pp below state avg
College readiness
25.0%
State 35.4%
AP exam pass rate below state avg
Met or exceeded
26.0%
State 35.7%
9.7pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
12.0%
State 30.2%
18.2pp below state avg
Suspension rate
1.4%
State 3.6%
2.2pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
20.0%
State 18.0%
2.0pp 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.

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Path

Walnutwood High (Independent Study) serves grades K-12 — students can complete their entire K-12 education here.

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.

The community around it

Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic24.4%
White53.9%
Asian4.1%
Black4.5%
Other13.1%
GenderFemale 63.4%Male 36.6%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 46.1% (18pp below CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
221
979 below CA avg (~1,200)
Transitional Kindergarten
No TK reported, 2025-26
California requires the district to offer TK, but not every site has a room — ask the district which campuses do.
Student-Teacher Ratio
18:1
3 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$19,547
District avg: $11,926 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
20.0% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$49,961 – $122,883
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Walnutwood High (Independent Study) in Rancho Cordova, 33.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 33.8% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Walnutwood High (Independent Study) trails its district average for low-income students by 0.5 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (6.9% Math proficient); White students (43.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 11.2 percentage points for hispanic students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 30 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Disabilities+7.6pp
19.6% vs 12.0% overall · n=46
Suspension · Two or More Races+4.0pp
5.4% vs 1.4% overall · n=37
ELA · Hispanic−11.2pp
26.7% vs 37.9% overall · n=15
2 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · Hispanic−9.1pp
0.0% vs 9.1% overall · n=15
Math · Low-Income−7.2pp
6.9% vs 14.1% overall · n=29

Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income30 tested
ELA 33.3%·Math 6.9%· -0.5pp vs district
White37 tested
ELA 43.2%·Math 11.1%· -20.4pp vs district
Hispanic15 tested
ELA 26.7%· -14.2pp vs district

Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 63%Support 34%Other 3%

Source: NCES F-33 (2019–2020) · Full district breakdown →

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$89K
$4K above CA median
Median Home Value
$491K
$168K below CA median
Bachelor's+
33%
2pp 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
13.9 years avg experience
14 teachers
Teacher Credentials
57% fully credentialed
AP Exam Qualifiers
1 students qualified via AP

Sources: CDE SARC · CDE College/Career Indicator, 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 →

Frequently asked questions

Is Walnutwood High (Independent Study) a good high school?
Walnutwood High (Independent Study) has a Scope Score of 37 out of 100, placing it in the 33rd percentile of California high schools and ranked #1,440 statewide. 6.9% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 9.0 percentage points below the California average of 15.8%. 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 Walnutwood High (Independent Study)'s CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 26.0% of students at Walnutwood High (Independent Study) met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 6.9% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 19.1% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 6.9% 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. 130 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Walnutwood High (Independent Study) rank in California?
Walnutwood High (Independent Study) ranks #1,440 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 33rd 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 Walnutwood High (Independent Study)?
12.0% of students at Walnutwood High (Independent Study) are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 30.2%. The suspension rate is 1.4%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. 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 Walnutwood High (Independent Study) compare to other schools in Rancho Cordova?
Walnutwood High (Independent Study) scores 37/100 (33rd 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 221 students. Use the schools in Rancho Cordova page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does Walnutwood High (Independent Study) serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Walnutwood High (Independent Study) in Rancho Cordova, 33.3% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 33.8% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Walnutwood High (Independent Study) trails its district average for low-income students by 0.5 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (6.9% Math proficient); White students (43.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 11.2 percentage points for hispanic students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 30 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.

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%
83.1%
↓ vs CA 87.6% · 45th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
6.9%
↓ vs CA 15.8% · 40th pctile
College readiness · 20%
25.0%
↓ vs CA 35.4% · 44th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
26.0%
↓ vs CA 35.7% · 43th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
12.0%
↑ vs CA 30.2% · 65th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
1.4%
↑ vs CA 3.6% · 60th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
20.0%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 55th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 40
Grade 11669%29%26%36%38%−9
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 40
Grade 11645%9%14%72%14%−9
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11701%9%77%13%

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 Disadvantaged3033.3%−0−5
White3743.2%−20−19
Hispanic/Latino1526.7%−14−12
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Walnutwood High (Independent Study) ←376.9%26.0%1.4%
Meraki High2.7 mi4635.7%60.7%3.3%
El Sereno Alternative Education2.8 mi3812.7%30.5%1.5%
Cordova High1.7 mi3713.0%33.8%5.0%
California average4415.8%35.7%3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
83.1%
AP Exam Prepared
25.0%
A-G Completion
2.9%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
56.1%
Scope Score history
41%37%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #1261 → #1394 → #1430 → #1449 → #1440
What we can't show
  • — Scored here as a high school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,160 high schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue