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Redwood Coast Montessori

Public, Charter, Alternative Grades K-12
2973rd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 5,857 California Alternative Schools
Better than 49% of California alternative schools
Summary

Redwood Coast Montessori is a K-12 alternative public school in Arcata, California, serving 218 students with a distinctive Montessori approach to education.

The school consistently outperforms both the state average and most nearby alternative schools in core academic subjects, with particularly strong results in English Language Arts and Science. It also maintains an exceptionally low rate of chronic student absenteeism at 9.2%, far better than the state average and most local schools like Glen Paul (56.1%) and Laurel Tree Charter (27.7%). With moderate per-student spending and a favorable student-teacher ratio of 11-to-1, the school demonstrates efficient use of resources to support a more economically diverse student population than many surrounding alternatives.

An interesting pattern shows that student proficiency grows remarkably in the upper grades, with 11th-grade ELA reaching 93% proficiency. However, the school's 12.5% dropout rate is higher than the state average, indicating a potential area for improvement in student retention. Overall, Redwood Coast Montessori stands out in the Redwood Coast Montessori District for successfully blending its individualized Montessori model with strong academic achievement and excellent student attendance.

218
Students ?
11.2
Student/teacher ratio ?
$16,128
Per pupil spending ?
47.7%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 1611 Peninsula Dr.
       Arcata, CA  95521-9658

(707) 832-4194

District: Redwood Coast Montessori District

Racial breakdown:

White:
61.5%
Two or more races:
19.7%
Hispanic:
12.8%
more
 See top rated California elementary schools

 Compare Redwood Coast Montessori to nearby alternative schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Declining — 94th percentile in 2021 → 86th in 2025
Strengths
Test scores above the California average (52% vs 41% meeting standards)
Small classes — about 11 students per teacher
Worth a look
!Dropout rate above the California average (12% vs 8%)
!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2021
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school52%
California avg41%
Elementary school
2,973rd of 5,857
California public elementary schools ?
Bottom 49%▼ down 10 pts since 2019
From top 41% (2019) to bottom 49% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
Middle school
476th of 2,761
California public middle schools ?
Top 17%▲ up 9 pts since 2019
From top 27% (2019) to top 17% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
High school
297th of 2,162
California public high schools ?
Top 14%
See the entire ranking list of California High 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202543.62973 of 585749.2%★★☆☆☆
202465.01818 of 586969.0%★★★☆☆
202362.21932 of 585967.0%★★★☆☆
202257.12172 of 588363.1%★★★☆☆
202172.7355 of 141774.9%★★★★☆
201954.22369 of 578959.1%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202445.31565 of 265141.0%★★☆☆☆
202324.02130 of 266120.0%★☆☆☆☆
202226.02120 of 272622.2%★☆☆☆☆
201935.91961 of 283430.8%★★☆☆☆
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202579.9476 of 276182.8%★★★★☆
202488.3314 of 278388.7%★★★★☆
202376.6550 of 278180.2%★★★★☆
202285.4377 of 274086.2%★★★★☆
202192.355 of 89493.8%★★★★★
201968.4722 of 271573.4%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202469.8639 of 255175.0%★★★★☆
202194.836 of 73895.1%★★★★★

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202590.2247 of 253490.3%★★★★★
202493.6175 of 255293.1%★★★★★
202374.8533 of 253879.0%★★★★☆
202290.3237 of 252790.6%★★★★★

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankCalifornia percentileRating
202556.2657 of 152056.8%★★★☆☆
202463.5528 of 153765.6%★★★☆☆
202350.3737 of 154352.2%★★★☆☆
202268.6454 of 155570.8%★★★★☆
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
White (2024)41st percentile-28 vs school
Middle school
Male (2025)90th percentile+7 vs school
Female (2024)75th percentile-14 vs school
White (2025)57th percentile-26 vs school
By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?
English Language Arts/Literacy60%+11 vs state
Science52%+20 vs state
Mathematics44%+7 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about Redwood Coast Montessori

Redwood Coast Montessori ranks 2973rd of 5857 California alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

In the 2024-25 school year, 218 students attended Redwood Coast Montessori.

Students at Redwood Coast Montessori are 61% White, 20% Two or more races, 13% Hispanic, 3% Not Specified, 2% Asian.


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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.





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