Mt. Lassen Charter

Mt. Lassen Charter is a K–12 alternative school serving 154 students in Herlong, in the Fort Sage Unified district. Its most important challenge is low all-grades test proficiency: in 2025–2026, about 14% of students were proficient in ELA, 3% in math and 3% in science, below both California and nearby Long Valley in all three subjects.

Test results were weakest in science compared with Long Valley: Mt. Lassen was behind by 31 percentage points, versus 12 points in ELA and 5 in math. It was also below the Fort Sage Unified district by 1 point in ELA, 2 in math and 7 in science. Attendance and completion measures tell a more favorable story: chronic absenteeism was 3% at Mt. Lassen, compared with 15% at Long Valley, 19% in the district and 18% statewide. Its graduation rate was 89%, higher than Long Valley’s 79%, the district’s 82% and the state’s 88%; its dropout rate was lower than all three comparison rates.

Test proficiency has generally declined over the four years shown, while state results rose: Mt. Lassen’s ELA fell 7 percentage points, math fell 11 and science fell 17. Over the same period, the state gap widened to 35 points in ELA, 35 in math and 33 in science. In 2024–2025, Mt. Lassen’s student–teacher ratio was 20.2, compared with 22.8 at Long Valley; the smaller ratio did not coincide with stronger test results. The school’s reported free/reduced lunch eligible share was 70% in 2024–2025, compared with 58% at Long Valley; this is context, not an explanation of results. SchoolDigger rank and star ratings were not provided, and most grade-specific test results are suppressed.