Summary:
Three high schools serve grades 9–12 in Amador County Unified: two conventional high schools and Independence High (Continuation), which has 49 students. The two conventional schools have similar enrollment—615 at Amador High and 593 at Argonaut High—while Independence’s test results are much lower. The most important shared concern is math: all three schools were below the state’s 38% proficiency rate, including the leading school.
Argonaut led the 2025–2026 tests, with 56% proficiency in English language arts (ELA), 21% in math, and 37% in science; its advantage over Amador was 3, 8, and 3 percentage points, respectively. Argonaut was above the state in ELA by 7 points and science by 1, but below it in math by 17. Amador also exceeded the state in ELA, at 53% versus 49%, and stands out for its 98% graduation rate, compared with 94% at Argonaut and 88% statewide. Independence was lowest in the reported tests, with 4% in ELA and 0% in math and science; its graduation rate was 79%.
Recent scores show different directions: from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, Argonaut gained 6 points in ELA, 6 in math, and 11 in science, while Amador fell 10, 3, and 2 points, respectively; Independence gained 4 points in ELA and remained at 0% in math and science. SchoolDigger’s rankings declined for all three from 2023–2024 to 2025–2026: Amador moved from the 79th to the 48th percentile, Argonaut from the 68th to the 57th, and Independence from the 15th to the 1st. As context, 2024–2025 free/reduced lunch eligibility was 34% at Amador, 34% at Argonaut, and 61% at Independence; student-teacher ratios were 21, 19.1, and 12.2, respectively. These figures describe differences between schools but do not explain their results.
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