Each level is scored on its own scale — elementary, middle, and high are never ranked against each other.
The elementary years
The elementary schools sit at the state line (39.5 vs 38.9) — the 24-point school-to-school spread is where the choice lives.
4 elementary schools span 24 points around an average of 39.5.
Lake Tahoe Environmental Science Magnet (54/100) holds the Strong band — 36.6% of its students exceed the state standard, against a level average of 21.0%. 1 school here meet the stronger cohort-gains threshold. These aggregate comparisons do not track individual children.
The suspension rate averages 2.7% against 1.6% statewide — worth a direct question on a visit.
The middle years
One middle school: South Tahoe Middle at 28/100 — the whole story at this level is one campus.
One dot, one school — there is no spread to read at this level.
South Tahoe Middle is the strongest option at 28/100 — 14.7% of its students exceed the state standard.
35.7% of students are chronically absent (state: 18.1%) — chronic means missing 10% or more of the school year. Whatever the scores say, ask each school what it is doing about attendance.
The high school years
27 points separate South Tahoe High (44) from Mt. Tallac High (18) — at this level, which school matters more than which district.
3 high schools span 27 points around an average of 30.9.
1 continuation/alternative school not plotted — it ranks within its own class, not on this statewide axis.
South Tahoe High is the strongest option at 44/100 — 12.7% of its students exceed the state standard.
48.4% of students are chronically absent (state: 23.1%) — chronic means missing 10% or more of the school year. Whatever the scores say, ask each school what it is doing about attendance.
What it means for your family
Compare schools at your child’s level before deciding on an address. The strongest attendance-zone candidate is Bijou Community at 39/100 — confirm the exact boundary with the district before the house.
1 runs a magnet program — enrollment paths that don't depend on your address. If your zoned school sits low in the appendix below, those lotteries and applications are the levers worth the paperwork.
A band is a position, not a prophecy — 1 campus here ranks as Growth Engine, its aggregate cohort-change indices above the published threshold. Ask your school two questions: what happens for a kid who arrives behind, and what the classroom looks like for one who arrives ahead.
The strongest-scoring run through the district:
Lake Tahoe Environmental Science Magnet 81st percentile · StrongScope Score 54/100South Tahoe Middle 31st percentile · DevelopingScope Score 28/100South Tahoe High 23rd percentile · Needs SupportScope Score 44/100
Top scorers at each level — not necessarily one zoned sequence. Confirm feeder patterns and enrollment zones with the district, and visit before you decide.
What this page can't see: whether a campus feels safe and glad at 8 a.m. If a path above looks workable, the next step is a visit.