Summary:
The Central Union High district in El Centro serves about 4,070 students across five schools, including four traditional or virtual high schools and one alternative school, primarily educating a high-needs community where most students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
Among the comprehensive high schools, Southwest High stands out as the top academic performer with the district's best test scores in English, math, and science, along with a strong 96.1% graduation rate. Central Union High also shows strengths, boasting the district's highest graduation rate (98.5%) and lowest chronic absenteeism. The district's alternative schools, Desert Oasis High (Continuation) and Phoenix Rising High, serve vulnerable students with significant support and small classes but face major challenges with attendance and academic proficiency.
The district excels at keeping students on track to graduate, with an average graduation rate well above the state, but struggles significantly with academic achievement, particularly in math where proficiency is less than half the state average. Mt. Signal Virtual Academy presents a mixed picture, performing adequately in English but very poorly in math with a high dropout rate, highlighting the varied effectiveness of different educational models within the same district.
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