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Laurel Tree Charter

Public, Charter, Alternative Grades K-12

4687^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,817 California Alternative Schools

Better than 19% of California alternative schools

Summary

Laurel Tree Charter is a small, K-12 alternative public school of about 200 students in Arcata, California, operating as its own Laurel Tree Charter District.

The school has a notable strength in science, where student proficiency consistently exceeds the state average, even as performance in English and math lags behind. A significant challenge is chronic student absenteeism, which is much higher than the state average and most nearby schools like Redwood Coast Montessori and Northern United - Humboldt Charter. Interestingly, the school maintains graduation rates close to the state average despite this attendance issue. Recent years have also seen a very large increase in the student-to-teacher ratio and a concerning drop in English proficiency scores.

Compared to other local alternative schools, Laurel Tree serves a student population with a moderate level of economic need. It spends more per student than some peers like Alder Grove Charter School 2, but its current student-teacher ratio is the highest among them. While its science program is a clear asset, the trends in core subjects, attendance, and classroom staffing indicate the school is navigating some important challenges that parents may want to explore further.

197

Students ?

25.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

54.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

76%

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

2730 Foster Ave
Arcata, CA 95521-9503

(707) 683-5708

District: Laurel Tree Charter District

Racial breakdown:

White:

73.6%

Two or more races:

14.7%

Hispanic:

8.1%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Laurel Tree Charter to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 40th percentile in 2019 → 72nd in 2026

Strengths

✓100% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (87%)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 32 percentile points since 2019

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (37% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (28% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school37%

California avg42%

Elementary school

4,687^th of 5,817

California public elementary schools ?

Bottom 19%▼ down 52 pts since 2019

From top 29% (2019) to bottom 19% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

771^st of 2,740

California public middle schools ?

Top 28%▲ up 31 pts since 2019

From bottom 40% (2019) to top 28% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	21.4	4687 of 5817	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.0	3961 of 5857	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.6	2758 of 5869	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	33.8	3586 of 5859	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.7	3248 of 5883	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	68.8	1654 of 5789	71.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	26.5	4218 of 5423	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.7	4538 of 5460	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	42.0	2986 of 5517	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	18.4	4811 of 5603	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.2	3687 of 5628	34.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	6.4	2433 of 2536	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	18.6	2195 of 2598	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.5	1888 of 2651	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	51.5	1509 of 2834	46.8%	★★☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	66.6	771 of 2740	71.9%	★★★★☆
2025	47.2	1258 of 2761	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.6	874 of 2783	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.2	737 of 2740	73.1%	★★★★☆
2019	34.9	1618 of 2715	40.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	55.1	982 of 2514	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	43.8	1260 of 2534	50.3%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	73.2	352 of 1490	76.4%	★★★★☆
2025	27.9	1108 of 1520	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)22nd percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)14th percentile-5 vs school

White (2026)4th percentile-15 vs school

Middle school

White (2026)76th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)61st percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

Science42%+6 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy38%-11 vs state

Mathematics35%-4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Laurel Tree Charter

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()				CAST Science (2026)						Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)								Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)								Vaccination (2024-25)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 5th Grade	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 10th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Laurel Tree Charter	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	2730 Foster Ave	Arcata	95521	Humboldt County	Laurel Tree Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 683-5708	197	8	25.9	54.3%	145 (73.6%)	2 (1.0%)	16 (8.1%)	1 (0.5%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (14.7%)								(n/a)	28.6	52.6				42.4	35.7	29.4	25.0	21.4	60.0	57.9		38.2	28.6	7.1	20.0	21.4	60.0	66.7		34.7	76%	0%	$15,412	$1,789	$13,623
Redwood Coast Montessori	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	1611 Peninsula Dr.	Arcata	95521	Humboldt County	Redwood Coast Montessori District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 832-4194	218	19	11.2	47.7%	134 (61.5%)	1 (0.5%)	28 (12.8%)	4 (1.8%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (19.7%)								(n/a)	33.3	52.2		50.0		50.9	50.0	23.1	50.0	83.3	63.6	47.8	66.7	55.1	58.3	33.3	16.7	33.3	50.0	47.8		40.0	89%	0%	$16,172	$251	$15,921
Alder Grove Charter School 2	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	714 F St.	Eureka	95501	Humboldt County	Alder Grove Charter School 2 District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 268-0854	481	25	19.5	65.3%	311 (64.7%)	2 (0.4%)	84 (17.5%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (14.1%)								(n/a)	41.4	39.5		32.0	45.5	38.9	29.4	46.4	34.5	17.1	36.1	58.1	48.8	39.5	20.6	17.9	13.8	16.7	25.0	20.9	16.3	18.9	37%	0%	$17,565	$1,905	$15,660
Humboldt County Office of Education Juvenile Hall Court	Public, Alternative	K-12	2006 Harrison Ave.	Eureka	95501	Humboldt County	Humboldt County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 445-7094	9	1	8.6	66.7%	2 (22.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (22.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (44.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (11.1%)								(n/a)																									$32,337	$2,630	$29,707
Pacific View Charter 2.0	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	115 Henderson St.	Eureka	95501	Humboldt County	Pacific View Charter 2.0 District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 269-9490	152	10	14.8	78.3%	67 (44.1%)	1 (0.7%)	33 (21.7%)	1 (0.7%)	10 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (23.0%)								(n/a)	11.8					5.6	8.3	20.8	5.9	33.3			27.3	19.6	0.0	16.7	17.7	11.1			0.0	10.9			$18,843	$1,324	$17,519
Glen Paul	Public, Alternative	K-12	2501 Cypress Ave.	Eureka	95503	Humboldt County	Humboldt County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 445-7068	128	17	7.5	—	63 (49.2%)	2 (1.6%)	31 (24.2%)	5 (3.9%)	6 (4.7%)	1 (0.8%)	20 (15.6%)								(n/a)																									$87,918	$4,414	$83,504
Northern United - Humboldt Charter	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	2020 Campton Rd.	Eureka	95503	Humboldt County	Northern United - Humboldt Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 445-2660	330	28	11.9	74.2%	191 (57.9%)	3 (0.9%)	47 (14.2%)	4 (1.2%)	28 (8.5%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (16.7%)								(n/a)	56.0	27.6		27.8	41.7	38.1	59.3	50.0	57.7	61.5		36.7	47.2	50.9	65.4	60.0	46.2	53.9		26.7	30.6	44.5	68%	0%	$18,569	$1,247	$17,322

Frequently Asked Questions about Laurel Tree Charter

How many students attend Laurel Tree Charter?

In the 2024-25 school year, 197 students attended Laurel Tree Charter.

What is the racial makeup of Laurel Tree Charter?

Students at Laurel Tree Charter are 74% White, 15% Two or more races, 8% Hispanic, 1% African American, 1% American Indian, 1% Not Specified.

What district is Laurel Tree Charter in?

Laurel Tree Charter District

Is Laurel Tree Charter a good school?

Laurel Tree Charter ranks in the bottom 19.4% of California alternative schools.

Rate Laurel Tree Charter!

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the California Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.