Mojave River Academy - Silver Mountain

Mojave River Academy - Silver Mountain is a K-12 alternative public school in Barstow, CA, serving 677 students with a focus on providing flexible education options in the high desert region.

The school shows a clear pattern of strong improvement in keeping students engaged and on track to graduate, with its graduation rate rising sharply to 84.4% and an exceptionally low chronic absenteeism rate of just 7.3%, which is far better than both the state average and nearby schools like Independence Charter Academy and Silver Valley Academy. However, these positive trends in attendance and graduation have not yet translated to academic achievement, as standardized test scores in English, math, and science are significantly below state averages, with mathematics proficiency being a particularly critical area of need at only 2.72%.

Notably, the Mojave River Academy - Silver Mountain District operates with much lower spending per student ($10,359) compared to other local alternative school districts, such as Helendale Elementary and Silver Valley Unified, while managing a similar student-teacher ratio and serving a student population with very high economic need. This suggests the school is making efficient use of resources to improve student retention and daily engagement, but faces substantial challenges in raising academic performance, especially in core subjects like math.