High Schools in Alvord Unified

The Alvord Unified school district in Riverside, California, operates five public high schools serving grades 9-12, which range from large comprehensive campuses to smaller alternative programs and collectively serve a student population with significant economic need.

Hillcrest High stands out as the district's top performer, achieving the highest graduation rate, lowest chronic absenteeism, and strongest test scores, particularly in English, where it exceeds the state average. Norte Vista High and La Sierra High are the other comprehensive high schools, with Norte Vista showing recent improvement in its state ranking. The two smaller alternative schools, Alvord High and Mission View High, face considerable challenges, including very high chronic absenteeism and the lowest academic proficiency rates in the district.

Key takeaways for parents include that the district's graduation rates are strong overall, but math proficiency is a challenge across all schools. There is a wide performance gap between the comprehensive high schools and the alternative schools. Interestingly, higher per-student spending at the alternative schools does not correlate with better outcomes, suggesting factors like school culture and attendance are critical. Parents should note that chronic absenteeism is a major issue, especially at the alternative schools, and is closely linked to academic struggles.