Summary:
The San Carlos Charter Learning Center District is a unique, single-school district consisting only of the K-8 San Carlos Charter Learning Center, which serves 377 students as California's first charter school, founded in 1993.
This school stands out for its consistently exceptional academic performance, with student proficiency rates significantly above state averages across all subjects—over 80% in English and over 70% in math and science. It has ranked in the top 10% of all California elementary schools for at least three consecutive years, demonstrating sustainable excellence. Furthermore, the school maintains an exceptionally low chronic absenteeism rate of just 5.3%, far below the state average, indicating high levels of student engagement and attendance.
An interesting pattern in the data shows a slight dip in proficiency rates in the 6th grade across subjects, which may point to transition challenges as students move into middle school grades, a common area for potential intervention. With per-student spending of about $16,000, the school achieves these strong outcomes through an efficient and effective educational model, though its student population has a very low percentage of students from low-income families compared to statewide figures. The school provides a comprehensive and successful K-8 program in a single setting.
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