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Sierra Alternative High

Q: Is Sierra Alternative High a good school?

Sierra Alternative High ranks 842 nd of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

842^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 61% of California high schools

Summary

Sierra Alternative High is a very small, alternative public high school serving just 10 students in grades 9-12 within the Sierra Unified district in Tollhouse, CA, known for its highly individualized attention with a 5-to-1 student-teacher ratio.

The school serves a specific student population and shows a unique profile, with a remarkable history of improvement from a very low state ranking a decade ago to a 3-star rating today. It achieves solid graduation rates (84.6%) that are better than many similar alternative schools like Gateway High (Continuation), and it has a relative strength in mathematics, where its proficiency exceeds both the district and state averages. However, the school faces a significant and persistent challenge with chronic absenteeism, which at 81.8% is far higher than the comprehensive Sierra High located just 0.09 miles away, as well as the state average.

This combination of high support and persistent challenges is common in alternative settings. The school's very high per-student spending reflects the intensive resources required to support its students. While its small size and low student-teacher ratio are major assets, the extreme absenteeism rate remains a critical barrier. Compared to nearby comprehensive schools in Clovis Unified, Sierra Alternative High operates with a fundamentally different model to meet the distinct needs of its students, showing success in graduation and math despite facing more profound attendance obstacles.

Students ?

5.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$31,889

Per pupil spending ?

40%

Free/discounted lunch ?

33280 Lodge Rd.
Tollhouse, CA 93667-9643

(559) 855-3020

District: Sierra Unified

Racial breakdown:

White:

60.0%

American Indian:

40.0%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 34th percentile in 2009 → 61st in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 27 percentile points since 2009

✓Above the California median (61st percentile)

✓Small classes — about 5 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Dropout rate above the California average (15% vs 8%)

!High chronic absenteeism (82% vs 19% California)

!English Language Arts/Literacy scores 12 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school41%

District avg36%

California avg43%

842^nd of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 39%▲ up 32 pts since 2015

From bottom 29% (2015) to top 39% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2High Schools in the Sierra Unified

918^th of 1,543Sierra 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	59.3	842 of 2162	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.9	1129 of 2133	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	8.2	2012 of 2021	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	25.6	1437 of 2039	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	25.1	1424 of 1994	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	5.0	2203 of 2426	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	4.9	2139 of 2354	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	5.0	2151 of 2367	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	4.7	2096 of 2281	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	28.0	1482 of 2238	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	35.4	1034 of 2117	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	41.2	845 of 2063	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	22.2	1325 of 1968	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2005	21.5	1342 of 1901	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	40.3	696 of 1653	57.9%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics45%+8 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy36%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Sierra Alternative 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 8th Grade	CAST Science 10th Grade	CAST Science 11th 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 8th Grade	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
Sierra Alternative High	Public	9-12	33280 Lodge Rd.	Tollhouse	93667	Fresno County	Sierra Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 855-3020	10	2	5.0	40.0%	6 (60.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (40.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	59.3	842^nd of 2162 public high schools	61.1%					(n/a)					36.4	36.4		45.5	45.5	$31,889	$1,225	$30,664
Sierra High	Public	9-12	33326 Lodge Rd.	Tollhouse	93667	Fresno County	Sierra Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 855-8311	367	22	16.9	35.1%	217 (59.1%)	3 (0.8%)	70 (19.1%)	4 (1.1%)	48 (13.1%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (6.8%)	71.6	566^th of 2162 public high schools	73.8%		73.9	508^th of 2159 public high schools	76.5%	58		26.2		26.1	76.5	76.5		39.7	39.7	$22,522	$1,681	$20,841
Mountain Oaks High	Public	9-12	33030 Road 228	North Fork	93643	Madera County	Chawanakee Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 877-4440	13	3	4.4	84.6%	6 (46.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (23.1%)	1 (7.7%)	2 (15.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (7.7%)								(n/a)										$37,771	$4,371	$33,400
Minarets High	Public	9-12	45077 Road 200	O Neals	93645	Madera County	Chawanakee Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 868-8689	265	16	16.3	50.9%	150 (56.6%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (24.5%)	1 (0.4%)	21 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (10.2%)	54.7	936^th of 2162 public high schools	56.7%		61.8	722^nd of 2159 public high schools	66.6%	214		27.3		26.7	67.4	67.4		14.0	14.0	$21,389	$2,222	$19,167
Minarets Charter High	Public, Charter	9-12	45077 Road 220	O Neals	93645	Madera County	Chawanakee Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 868-8689	165	7	23.7	53.3%	87 (52.7%)	1 (0.6%)	50 (30.3%)	5 (3.0%)	5 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (9.7%)	60.4	811^th of 2162 public high schools	62.5%		78	435^th of 2159 public high schools	79.9%	376		16.0		11.8	68.8	68.8		26.5	26.5	$22,059	$406	$21,653
Cedar Continuation High	Public	9-12	45077 Road 200	O Neals	93645	Madera County	Chawanakee Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 868-4200	10	1	10.2	70.0%	5 (50.0%)	1 (10.0%)	3 (30.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)										$15,291	$1,453	$13,838
Clovis North High	Public	9-12	2770 East International Ave.	Fresno	93730	Fresno County	Clovis Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 327-5000	2,360	107	22.0	28.0%	918 (38.9%)	75 (3.2%)	710 (30.1%)	489 (20.7%)	10 (0.4%)	9 (0.4%)	149 (6.3%)	97.8	37^th of 2162 public high schools	98.3%		98.7	26^th of 2159 public high schools	98.8%	11			69.4	69.4	91.3	91.3		67.3	67.3	$13,909	$684	$13,225
Clovis Community Day Secondary	Public	7-12	1715 David E Cook Way	Clovis	93611	Fresno County	Clovis Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 327-1995	56	14	3.8	87.5%	5 (8.9%)	8 (14.3%)	41 (73.2%)	1 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.8%)								(n/a)	0.0			0.0		4.4	7.7		3.6	$60,439	$3,641	$56,798
Gateway High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	1550 Herndon Ave.	Clovis	93611	Fresno County	Clovis Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 327-1800	215	25	8.5	79.1%	40 (18.6%)	13 (6.0%)	128 (59.5%)	16 (7.4%)	3 (1.4%)	1 (0.5%)	12 (5.6%)	15.5	1793^rd of 2162 public high schools	17.1%		27.8	1543^rd of 2159 public high schools	28.5%	250			8.6	9.7	26.0	26.0		1.0	1.0	$35,083	$1,850	$33,233
Buchanan High	Public	9-12	1560 North Minnewawa Ave.	Clovis	93619	Fresno County	Clovis Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(559) 327-3000	2,551	118	21.6	35.2%	1,037 (40.7%)	67 (2.6%)	928 (36.4%)	347 (13.6%)	12 (0.5%)	6 (0.2%)	153 (6.0%)	93.1	142^nd of 2162 public high schools	93.4%		94.2	128^th of 2159 public high schools	94.1%	14		53.6	52.8	53.2	82.3	82.3		57.0	57.0	$13,847	$875	$12,972

Frequently Asked Questions about Sierra Alternative High

What is the racial makeup of Sierra Alternative High?

Students at Sierra Alternative High are 60% White, 40% American Indian.

How many students attend Sierra Alternative High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 10 students attended Sierra Alternative High.

Is Sierra Alternative High a good school?

Sierra Alternative High ranks 842^nd of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Sierra Alternative High in?

Sierra Unified

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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.