Summary:
The Mendota Unified district operates three high schools serving grades 9-12, including a traditional comprehensive school, a continuation school, and a community day school, primarily serving a high-needs student population.
Mendota High is the district's standout performer, achieving an exceptional 95.6% graduation rate and strong English Language Arts scores that are well above the state average, which is particularly notable given the economic challenges faced by most students. However, the school faces a significant challenge in mathematics, where proficiency rates are much lower, indicating a need for focused improvement in that subject area.
In stark contrast, the alternative schools, Mendota Continuation High and Mendota Community Day, show severe struggles with very low graduation rates, extremely high chronic absenteeism, and poor academic outcomes, despite having much higher per-student spending and smaller class sizes than the comprehensive high school. This creates a dual reality where the traditional high school is improving and performing well in key areas, while the district's overall ranking is pulled down by the profound difficulties in serving its most at-risk students in alternative settings.
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