Summary:
This analysis examines six public high schools within the Santa Rosa City Schools district in California, all serving grades 9-12 in a district ranked in the bottom third statewide.
The standout school is Maria Carrillo High, which consistently outperforms the others and state averages in test scores and graduation rates, while also spending the least per student. In contrast, Elsie Allen High faces significant academic challenges, and Ridgway High (Continuation), a specialized school, has extremely high chronic absenteeism but also a high graduation rate for its at-risk population. The other traditional high schools—Santa Rosa High, Piner High, and Montgomery High—generally fall below state proficiency averages.
A key finding is that higher per-student spending does not correlate with better academic results in this district; schools with the highest spending have the lowest proficiency. A major district-wide concern is chronic absenteeism, which is severe at all schools except Maria Carrillo and is likely a major factor in low test scores. While graduation rates are solid overall, the low proficiency rates in subjects like math suggest many students may graduate without strong college or career readiness in core academic skills.
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