ASA Charter

ASA Charter is a K-12 alternative public school serving 334 students in San Bernardino, California, operating within its own ASA Charter District and serving a community where the vast majority of students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

The school faces significant challenges, particularly with very low graduation rates (56.3% compared to the state's 86.4%) and alarmingly high dropout rates (43.8%). Chronic absenteeism, where students miss a large portion of the school year, is also more than double the state average at 40.3%, which is closely linked to academic struggles. While per-student spending has risen to $18,347, academic performance is mixed; for example, only 8.6% of students are proficient in math, far below the state average. Performance varies widely by grade, suggesting inconsistency in the educational experience.

Comparisons to nearby alternative schools reveal important insights. While Mojave River Academy spends less and has similar academic results, it has remarkably low chronic absenteeism (6.2%). Most notably, the nearby Virtual Academy, serving a similar student population, achieves a 97.1% graduation rate with minimal absenteeism, demonstrating that better outcomes are possible. Mathematics is a universal challenge across these schools, and there is no clear link between higher spending and better results, as seen with Vista Norte Public Charter, which spends far more but has worse outcomes.