Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Lopez Continuation High

Public Grades 10-12

1959^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 9% of California high schools

Summary

Lopez Continuation High is a small, alternative public school serving about 96 students in grades 10-12 within the Lucia Mar Unified school district in Arroyo Grande, CA, designed for students who have faced significant challenges in traditional high school settings.

This school serves a critical role but faces substantial hurdles, most notably an extremely high rate of chronic student absenteeism at 74.3%, which is nearly five times the district average. Academically, proficiency rates in English, math, and science are significantly lower than at other district high schools like Arroyo Grande High or Central Coast New Technical High. Its statewide ranking has declined over the past decade to the 9th percentile. However, the school does have advantages, including a low student-teacher ratio of about 11-to-1 and higher per-student funding than other schools in the district, which allows for more individualized attention.

Despite its overall challenges, Lopez Continuation High shows notable effectiveness with its most vulnerable students, such as those in special education, where it has historically earned much higher performance ratings. When compared to similar alternative schools in the region, like Pacific Beach High or Delta High, it faces common issues like low test scores but has a lower graduation rate. The school's performance highlights the difficulty of serving high-need populations and suggests that addressing chronic absenteeism is its most pressing challenge.

Students ?

10.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,878

Per pupil spending ?

77.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1055 Mesa View Dr.
Arroyo Grande, CA 93420-3311

(805) 474-3750

District: Lucia Mar Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

65.6%

White:

28.1%

Asian:

2.1%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Lopez Continuation High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 37th percentile in 2013 → 9th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (7% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (9th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the California average (77% vs 88%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school7%

District avg45%

California avg41%

1,959^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 9%▼ down 14 pts since 2015

From bottom 24% (2015) to bottom 9% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4High Schools in the Lucia Mar Unified

582^nd of 1,543Lucia Mar Unified among California districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	11.2	1959 of 2162	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.1	1716 of 2159	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.4	1860 of 2170	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.8	1770 of 2123	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.7	1876 of 2133	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.2	1625 of 2017	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	16.3	1558 of 2021	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	17.1	1565 of 2039	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	17.8	1524 of 1994	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	23.4	1524 of 2426	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	23.4	1494 of 2354	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	25.9	1438 of 2367	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	36.6	1092 of 2281	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	35.7	1167 of 2238	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	37.5	977 of 2117	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	28.7	1165 of 2063	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	38.0	892 of 1968	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2005	21.0	1360 of 1901	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	27.9	987 of 1653	40.3%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	49.9	395 of 1161	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	24.7	824 of 1052	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	25.8	1030 of 1085	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	18.3	1548 of 1906	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.0	1384 of 1915	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.6	1739 of 1915	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.0	1514 of 1858	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.8	1600 of 1833	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.7	1542 of 1760	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	9.8	1774 of 1900	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.2	1841 of 1902	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.2	1645 of 1917	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.2	1694 of 1861	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.9	1629 of 1814	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.5	1426 of 1742	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	19.9	342 of 410	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.1	250 of 328	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.9	234 of 299	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.3	246 of 290	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	9.5	1908 of 2013	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.3	1621 of 2026	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.4	1698 of 2030	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.3	1639 of 1943	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.2	1795 of 1937	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.7	1492 of 1862	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	8.5	1846 of 1942	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.5	1662 of 1948	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.3	1643 of 1963	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.0	1709 of 1916	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.9	1679 of 1880	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.8	1446 of 1834	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	52.6	430 of 1216	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.3	534 of 1197	55.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	5.7	1088 of 1155	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.3	963 of 1173	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	5.6	1136 of 1193	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.9	1083 of 1204	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	5.2	1154 of 1222	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.9	1106 of 1173	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Disabled (2022)66th percentile+49 vs school

Special Education (2024)65th percentile+44 vs school

Female (2025)19th percentile+9 vs school

Homeless (2025)17th percentile+7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)7th percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)6th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)5th percentile-4 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)5th percentile-15 vs school

Male (2025)5th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy15%-34 vs state

Mathematics5%-33 vs state

Science0%-33 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate Lopez Continuation High

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a student
Tuesday, December 27, 2011

As a graduating student (Class of 2008) at Lopez High School I can say that it is the best school I ever attended. The students are difficult, but the teachers did more than their part. If you were dedicated to your work, you succeeded. I was one of the dedicated, even made it into a local news paper. Parents think this school is no good, but it's their poor parenting and lack of attention that contributes to their children's poor test scores and social problems. There is a lot that contributes to the behavior of the students that attend Lopez High School but none of it is within control of the staff of Lucia Mar Unified school district. The counselors do their parts to the extent that they can but it isn't reinforced in the home. Keep up the great work.

P.S. If you are a student reading this review, remember that it is you that controls your success. Your true friends will be fine with you focusing in class. Never look back, keep moving forward. Close Quote

Schools Near Lopez Continuation High

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)			Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)		Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Lopez Continuation High	Public	10-12	1055 Mesa View Dr.	Arroyo Grande	93420	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3750	96	9	10.9	77.1%	27 (28.1%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (65.6%)	2 (2.1%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.1%)	11.2	1959^th of 2162 public high schools	9.4%		19.1	1716^th of 2159 public high schools	20.5%	243	0.0		0.0	15.2	15.2	4.6	4.6	$19,878	$1,525	$18,353
Arroyo Grande High	Public	9-12	495 Valley Rd.	Arroyo Grande	93420	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3200	2,012	96	20.9	47.2%	966 (48.0%)	11 (0.5%)	845 (42.0%)	60 (3.0%)	4 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	115 (5.7%)	79.9	414^th of 2162 public high schools	80.9%		74.4	488^th of 2159 public high schools	77.4%	74	47.5	9.1	46.6	69.8	69.8	36.6	36.6	$16,426	$1,531	$14,895
Nipomo High	Public	9-12	525 North Thompson Rd.	Nipomo	93444	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3300	819	43	19.0	70.2%	225 (27.5%)	5 (0.6%)	542 (66.2%)	10 (1.2%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	31 (3.8%)	61.4	785^th of 2162 public high schools	63.7%		49.7	1002^nd of 2159 public high schools	53.6%	217	34.0		33.3	67.7	67.7	19.8	19.8	$17,811	$1,470	$16,341
Central Coast New Technical High	Public	9-12	523 North Thompson Ave.	Nipomo	93444	San Luis Obispo County	Lucia Mar Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 474-3350	318	17	19.1	50.3%	160 (50.3%)	2 (0.6%)	123 (38.7%)	7 (2.2%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.0%)	92.9	150^th of 2162 public high schools	93.1%		95.6	99^th of 2159 public high schools	95.4%	51	62.8		62.8	77.2	77.2	53.2	53.2	$19,258	$1,810	$17,448
Santa Maria High	Public	9-12	901 South Broadway	Santa Maria	93458	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 925-2567	3,143	144	21.9	76.1%	39 (1.2%)	6 (0.2%)	3,057 (97.3%)	29 (0.9%)	4 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.1%)	40.3	1251^st of 2162 public high schools	42.1%		38.7	1277^th of 2159 public high schools	40.9%	26	24.0		23.8	44.5	44.5	15.7	15.7	$17,274	$1,811	$15,463
Pioneer Valley High	Public	9-12	675 Panther Dr.	Santa Maria	93454	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 922-1305	3,080	140	22.0	71.9%	70 (2.3%)	13 (0.4%)	2,893 (93.9%)	87 (2.8%)	4 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	8 (0.3%)	47.2	1092^nd of 2162 public high schools	49.5%		52.1	952^nd of 2159 public high schools	55.9%	140	24.2	23.5	24.2	50.2	50.2	21.3	21.3	$16,176	$1,641	$14,535
Pacific Beach High	Public	10-12	11950 Los Osos Valley Rd.	San Luis Obispo	93405	San Luis Obispo County	San Luis Coastal Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 596-4023	62	4	14.6	74.2%	23 (37.1%)	1 (1.6%)	32 (51.6%)	1 (1.6%)	1 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (4.8%)	8.1	2112^th of 2162 public high schools	2.3%		11.3	1982^nd of 2159 public high schools	8.2%	130	0.0		0.0	9.4	9.4	0.0	0.0	$22,078	$1,060	$21,018
San Luis Obispo High	Public	9-12	1499 San Luis Dr.	San Luis Obispo	93401	San Luis Obispo County	San Luis Coastal Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 596-4040	1,678	78	21.5	39.0%	941 (56.1%)	18 (1.1%)	521 (31.0%)	72 (4.3%)	4 (0.2%)	3 (0.2%)	107 (6.4%)	87.2	260^th of 2162 public high schools	88.0%		89.9	232^nd of 2159 public high schools	89.3%	28	55.0	25.0	53.8	67.2	67.2	50.9	50.9	$16,827	$1,039	$15,788
Ernest Righetti High	Public	9-12	941 East Foster Rd.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 937-2051	2,416	115	21.0	55.5%	424 (17.5%)	32 (1.3%)	1,815 (75.1%)	78 (3.2%)	17 (0.7%)	6 (0.2%)	34 (1.4%)	58	877^th of 2162 public high schools	59.4%		62.4	711^th of 2159 public high schools	67.1%	166	31.1	13.3	30.6	60.5	60.5	22.6	22.6	$18,122	$1,775	$16,347
Delta High	Public	9-12	4893 Bethany Ln.	Santa Maria	93455	Santa Barbara County	Santa Maria Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 937-6356	291	14	20.7	78.7%	11 (3.8%)	2 (0.7%)	274 (94.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	10.9	1974^th of 2162 public high schools	8.7%		10.6	2033^rd of 2159 public high schools	5.8%	59	3.3		3.7	17.0	17.0	1.1	1.1	$17,356	$1,967	$15,389

Frequently Asked Questions about Lopez Continuation High

What district is Lopez Continuation High in?

Lucia Mar Unified

What is the racial makeup of Lopez Continuation High?

Students at Lopez Continuation High are 66% Hispanic, 28% White, 2% Asian, 2% Two or more races, 1% American Indian, 1% Not Specified.

How many students attend Lopez Continuation High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 96 students attended Lopez Continuation High.

Is Lopez Continuation High a good school?

Lopez Continuation High ranks in the bottom 9.4% of California high schools.

Rate Lopez Continuation High!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

CACalifornia High School Rankings

CACalifornia District Rankings

Schools in Arroyo Grande, CA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Lopez Continuation High!

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.