Summary:
Ferndale Unified serves high school students through a single school, Ferndale High, a small school of about 145 students in a rural district, providing a close-knit educational environment for grades 9-12.
Ferndale High demonstrates a remarkable strength in supporting its students to graduation, achieving a perfect 100% graduation rate with no dropouts, which is significantly better than the state average. This indicates a highly supportive school culture that keeps students engaged through to completion. However, the school's academic performance presents a mixed picture, with English proficiency slightly above the state average but math and, especially, science scores falling well below state benchmarks, suggesting areas where academic rigor may need strengthening.
Key considerations for parents include the school's very low student-teacher ratio, which allows for more individualized attention, but also a chronic absenteeism rate that is higher than average, which can impact learning. While the school's overall state ranking has declined recently, its success in graduation is a strong positive. Families should weigh the benefits of the personalized, supportive environment that excels at student retention against the need for potential academic support, particularly in science and math, as highlighted by the performance data from the Ferndale Unified district.
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