Summary:
North Highlands, California, is served by 12 public schools within the Twin Rivers Unified district, including eight elementary schools (many serving grades K-8), three high schools, and one alternative K-12 arts academy, all educating a high-need community where the district ranks in the bottom third statewide.
Among these schools, Creative Connections Arts Academy stands out as the top performer, with the area's best test scores, a perfect 100% graduation rate, and the lowest chronic absenteeism. Other relatively strong schools include Hillsdale Elementary and Kohler Tk-8 for their English Language Arts performance. In contrast, Oakdale Tk-8 has the lowest ranking and test scores, while Pacific Career and Technology High faces severe challenges with very low test scores and an extremely high chronic absenteeism rate of 84.6%.
Overall, the district significantly trails state averages in test scores, and chronic absenteeism is a major concern, averaging nearly 50% district-wide. However, Highlands High shows a strong 90.4% graduation rate. The success of the alternative arts academy suggests specialized programs can yield excellent results, while the poor outcomes at the two smallest, most expensive high schools indicate that high per-student spending does not automatically guarantee student success in this area.
Thank you for your feedback!