Summary:
The North Monterey County Unified district operates three public high schools for grades 9-12, serving a total of 1,369 students in a high-need community where most students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
The main comprehensive school, North Monterey County High, enrolls over 90% of the district's high schoolers and shows a key strength in English, with proficiency above the state average; however, its math proficiency is very low at under 8%. The North Monterey County Center for Independent Study serves a smaller group and performs notably better in math than the district's main high school, while Central Bay High (Continuation) is a very small school for students needing an alternative path, showing severe academic struggles but a high graduation rate.
Notably, all three schools graduate students at rates above the state average, but they also all struggle with high chronic absenteeism, especially the continuation school. There is a wide disparity in spending per student, with the continuation school costing nearly three times more to operate than the comprehensive high school. For parents, this highlights a district where graduation support appears strong but significant challenges remain in math achievement and student attendance.
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