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Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy

Public, Charter Grades 6-12

61^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 97% of California high schools

Summary

Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy (NPA) is a small, top-ranked public charter school serving grades 6-12 in Arcata, CA, with just 118 students, that uniquely blends rigorous college preparation with a performing arts focus.

NPA stands out as an academic leader, consistently ranking in the top 3% of all California high schools. Its students achieve proficiency rates far above state and local averages, most notably in science, where scores are more than double the state average. A cornerstone of this success is an exceptionally strong school culture, reflected in a near-perfect student attendance rate of 0.8%, starkly contrasting with the significant chronic absenteeism challenges faced by many other schools in the Northern Humboldt Union High district, such as McKinleyville High and Eureka Senior High.

While NPA operates with moderate per-student spending, its focused model delivers outstanding results. It serves as a high-performance option distinct from the larger, comprehensive Arcata High located less than a mile away, outperforming it across all core subjects. It's important for parents to note that while NPA's academic and attendance metrics are exemplary, its small size can lead to volatility in annual graduation and dropout rates, an area to watch alongside its otherwise stellar profile.

118

Students ?

19.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,039

Per pupil spending ?

33.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

285 Bayside Rd.
Arcata, CA 95521-5403

(707) 822-0861

District: Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy District

Racial breakdown:

White:

68.6%

Two or more races:

16.9%

Hispanic:

5.9%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 94th percentile in 2019 → 97th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (66% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 3% of California high schools

Worth a look

!Dropout rate above the California average (18% vs 9%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school66%

California avg41%

Middle school

390^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 14%▲ up 2 pts since 2019

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

61^st of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 3%▲ up 3 pts since 2019

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

88^th of 1,543Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy District among California districts

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

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	83.8	390 of 2761	85.9%	★★★★☆
2024	90.6	267 of 2783	90.4%	★★★★★
2023	80.4	478 of 2781	82.8%	★★★★☆
2022	84.8	391 of 2740	85.7%	★★★★☆
2021	89.5	74 of 894	91.7%	★★★★★
2019	82.3	428 of 2715	84.2%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	76.5	513 of 2533	79.7%	★★★★☆
2024	86.7	317 of 2551	87.6%	★★★★☆
2023	74.5	526 of 2531	79.2%	★★★★☆
2022	90.5	224 of 2509	91.1%	★★★★★
2021	92.1	51 of 738	93.1%	★★★★★
2019	83.6	352 of 2380	85.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	94.3	155 of 2534	93.9%	★★★★★
2024	69.5	647 of 2552	74.6%	★★★★☆
2023	76.8	501 of 2538	80.3%	★★★★☆
2021	84.2	97 of 763	87.3%	★★★★☆
2019	78.9	444 of 2407	81.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	83.3	180 of 1520	88.2%	★★★★☆
2024	74.3	343 of 1537	77.7%	★★★★☆
2023	60.2	575 of 1543	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.2	440 of 1555	71.7%	★★★★☆
2019	73.4	389 of 1602	75.7%	★★★★☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	96.8	61 of 2162	97.2%	★★★★★
2024	92.7	168 of 2159	92.2%	★★★★★
2022	92.0	171 of 2123	91.9%	★★★★★
2021	92.9	88 of 1290	93.2%	★★★★★
2019	93.6	124 of 2133	94.2%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	89.1	192 of 1858	89.7%	★★★★☆
2019	93.8	98 of 1833	94.7%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	84.0	153 of 1173	87.0%	★★★★☆
2022	76.0	261 of 1204	78.3%	★★★★☆
2019	81.8	173 of 1222	85.8%	★★★★☆

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)

Middle school

Male (2025)94th percentile+8 vs school

White (2025)88th percentile~ school

Female (2025)80th percentile-6 vs school

High school

Female (2022)90th percentile~ school

White (2024)87th percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy75%+26 vs state

Science73%+41 vs state

Mathematics53%+16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CAST Science (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	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 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 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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy	Public, Charter	6-12	285 Bayside Rd.	Arcata	95521	Humboldt County	Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 822-0861	118	6	19.3	33.1%	81 (68.6%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (5.9%)	4 (3.4%)	3 (2.5%)	2 (1.7%)	20 (16.9%)	96.8	61^st of 2162 public high schools	97.2%		92.7	168^th of 2159 public high schools	92.2%	107	71.4			75.0	73.2	46.7	79.2	72.7	100.0	75.0	37.5	70.8	47.6	50.0	53.3	$16,039	$287	$15,752
Arcata High	Public	9-12	1720 M St.	Arcata	95521	Humboldt County	Northern Humboldt Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 825-2400	1,007	53	19.0	40.3%	628 (62.4%)	15 (1.5%)	183 (18.2%)	31 (3.1%)	34 (3.4%)	2 (0.2%)	108 (10.7%)	82.2	379^th of 2162 public high schools	82.5%		82.4	366^th of 2159 public high schools	83.0%	13				47.0	47.0				65.7	65.7				36.8	36.8	$19,047	$4,327	$14,720
Pacific Coast High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	1720 M St.	Arcata	95521	Humboldt County	Northern Humboldt Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 822-2443	24	2	10.9	58.3%	13 (54.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (25.0%)	1 (4.2%)	2 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (8.3%)	22.5	1638^th of 2162 public high schools	24.2%					(n/a)									30.8	30.8				7.7	7.7	$19,007	$3,457	$15,550
Six Rivers Charter High	Public, Charter	9-12	1720 M St.	Arcata	95521	Humboldt County	Six Rivers Charter High District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 825-2428	113	5	22.2	31.0%	68 (60.2%)	1 (0.9%)	21 (18.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (15.9%)								(n/a)
Arcata Educational Resource Center	Public	7-12	1222 Hallen Dr.	Arcata	95521	Humboldt County	Humboldt County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 445-7000	27	2	12.8	81.5%	13 (48.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (11.1%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (29.6%)								(n/a)
Eureka Community	Public	7-12	1820 Sixth St.	Eureka	95501	Humboldt County	Humboldt County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 445-7108	70	4	19.7	98.6%	30 (42.9%)	3 (4.3%)	16 (22.9%)	1 (1.4%)	7 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (18.6%)	8.4	2099^th of 2162 public high schools	2.9%		21.2	1678^th of 2159 public high schools	22.3%	421					16.0				8.3	10.5				0.0	0.0	$35,628	$4,775	$30,853
Humboldt County Regional Occupational Program	Public	10-12	901 Myrtle Ave.	Eureka	95501	Humboldt County	Humboldt County Regional Occupational Program	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(707) 445-7018	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
McKinleyville High	Public	9-12	1300 Murray Rd.	McKinleyville	95519	Humboldt County	Northern Humboldt Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 839-6400	566	34	16.7	45.6%	292 (51.6%)	0 (0.0%)	90 (15.9%)	9 (1.6%)	50 (8.8%)	2 (0.4%)	117 (20.7%)	52.1	990^th of 2162 public high schools	54.2%		46.1	1096^th of 2159 public high schools	49.2%	106				24.3	24.3				45.9	45.9				23.1	23.1	$22,929	$5,171	$17,758
Mad River High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	1300 Murray Rd.	McKinleyville	95519	Humboldt County	Northern Humboldt Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 839-6480	28	2	13.8	82.1%	14 (50.0%)	1 (3.6%)	5 (17.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (10.7%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (17.9%)								(n/a)																$17,578	$4,824	$12,754
Eureka Senior High	Public	9-12	1915 J St.	Eureka	95501	Humboldt County	Eureka City Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 441-2508	1,162	60	19.2	51.1%	532 (45.8%)	21 (1.8%)	306 (26.3%)	104 (9.0%)	45 (3.9%)	22 (1.9%)	131 (11.3%)	53.6	959^th of 2162 public high schools	55.6%		59.7	773^rd of 2159 public high schools	64.2%	186		20.5	30.0	26.8	26.8				50.6	50.6				21.0	21.0	$17,604	$1,846	$15,758

Frequently Asked Questions about Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy

Is Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy a good school?

Yes! Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 61^st of 2162 California high schools.

What is the racial makeup of Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy?

Students at Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy are 69% White, 17% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic, 3% Asian, 3% American Indian, 2% Pacific Islander.

What district is Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy in?

Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy District

How many students attend Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 118 students attended Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy.

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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.