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Julian Charter

Q: Is Julian Charter a good school?

Julian Charter ranks 1695 th of 5857 California alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter, Virtual, Alternative Grades K-12

1695^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,857 California Alternative Schools

Better than 71% of California alternative schools

Summary

Julian Charter is a K-12 alternative public charter school serving 203 students in the mountain community of Julian, California, operating independently within the Julian Charter District with a favorable student-teacher ratio of 14-to-1.

The school stands out for its strong academic performance, particularly in science where students significantly outpace state averages, and it maintains consistently high graduation rates and remarkably low chronic absenteeism. When compared to other local alternative schools like JCS - Pine Valley, Mountain Valley Academy, and Brookfield Engineering Science Technology Academy, Julian Charter shows a more balanced strength across English, math, and science, and it achieves these outcomes with mid-range per-student spending.

An interesting point for parents is that while Julian Charter shares a physical address with Brookfield Engineering Science Technology Academy, their academic results are dramatically different, highlighting the effectiveness of Julian Charter's specific educational approach. The school does show some variation in performance by grade level, with middle school being an area for potential focus, but its overall record demonstrates that the alternative school model can deliver excellent and engaging education.

203

Students ?

14.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,804

Per pupil spending ?

41.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1704 Cape Horn
Julian, CA 92036

(760) 765-3847

District: Julian Charter District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

43.3%

White:

37.9%

Two or more races:

12.3%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Julian Charter to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 80th percentile in 2022 → 78th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (49% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Above the California median (71st percentile)

Worth a look

!Dropout rate above the California average (12% vs 9%)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school49%

California avg41%

Elementary school

1,695^th of 5,857

California public elementary schools ?

Top 29%▲ up 12 pts since 2022

From top 41% (2022) to top 29% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

759^th of 2,761

California public middle schools ?

Top 27%▲ up 4 pts since 2019

From top 32% (2019) to top 27% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

471^st of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 22%▼ down 1 pts since 2022

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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	67.9	1695 of 5857	71.1%	★★★★☆
2024	65.2	1810 of 5869	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.4	1926 of 5859	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.3	2433 of 5883	58.6%	★★★☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	66.1	759 of 2761	72.5%	★★★★☆
2024	62.3	835 of 2783	70.0%	★★★★☆
2023	67.4	733 of 2781	73.6%	★★★★☆
2022	70.2	679 of 2740	75.2%	★★★★☆
2019	62.1	863 of 2715	68.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	81.5	412 of 2551	83.8%	★★★★☆
2022	87.8	281 of 2509	88.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	87.6	303 of 2534	88.0%	★★★★☆
2024	62.7	766 of 2552	70.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	57.3	642 of 1520	57.8%	★★★☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	76.5	471 of 2162	78.2%	★★★★☆
2024	81.3	391 of 2159	81.9%	★★★★☆
2023	76.7	461 of 2170	78.8%	★★★★☆
2022	76.5	433 of 2123	79.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	84.0	271 of 1906	85.8%	★★★★☆
2024	90.8	162 of 1915	91.5%	★★★★★
2023	80.6	345 of 1915	82.0%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	74.8	400 of 1900	78.9%	★★★★☆
2023	83.2	262 of 1917	86.3%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	86.1	227 of 2013	88.7%	★★★★☆
2024	86.3	238 of 2026	88.3%	★★★★☆
2023	94.4	105 of 2030	94.8%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	44.5	1037 of 1942	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	57.8	712 of 1963	63.7%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	74.9	186 of 1252	85.1%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	62.7	440 of 1193	63.1%	★★★☆☆

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)

Middle school

Male (2025)88th percentile+16 vs school

Female (2024)84th percentile+14 vs school

White (2025)58th percentile-15 vs school

High school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)89th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2025)86th percentile+8 vs school

Special Education (2025)85th percentile+7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)79th percentile~ school

White (2023)63rd percentile-16 vs school

Male (2025)47th percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy53%+4 vs state

Science48%+15 vs state

Mathematics46%+9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Julian Charter

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()				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 ()	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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Julian Charter	Public, Virtual, Charter, Alternative	K-12	1704 Cape Horn	Julian	92036	San Diego County	Julian Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(760) 765-3847	203	14	14.0	41.9%	77 (37.9%)	4 (2.0%)	88 (43.3%)	5 (2.5%)	3 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (12.3%)								(n/a)	50.0	50.0	53.3			48.2		36.4	64.3	50.0	38.5	57.1	62.5	52.9		54.6	50.0	44.4	38.5	66.7	33.3	46.3	$15,804	$720	$15,084
Brookfield Engineering Science Technology Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter, Alternative	K-12	1704 Cape Horn	Julian	92036	San Diego County	Brookfield Engineering Science Technology Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(833) 619-2378	693	24	28.7	62.8%	386 (55.7%)	13 (1.9%)	270 (39.0%)	17 (2.5%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)								(n/a)	16.0	12.5		5.0	28.2	16.0	31.5	27.5	30.0	36.4	26.5	20.6	30.4	28.3	27.8	19.6	18.0	22.2	22.1	9.6	12.7	18.4	$14,494	$1,269	$13,225
Mountain Valley Academy	Public, Alternative	K-12	1010 Ramona St.	Ramona	92065	San Diego County	Ramona City Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(760) 787-3600	182	8	22.2	45.6%	100 (54.9%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (34.1%)	3 (1.6%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (8.8%)								(n/a)		50.0		55.6		53.3					69.2	83.3	68.4	67.0					30.8	38.9	52.6	39.6	$8,902	$1,380	$7,522
JCS - Pine Valley	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	28876 Old Highway 80	Pine Valley	91962	San Diego County	JCS - Pine Valley District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(619) 473-1300	184	15	12.4	46.2%	111 (60.3%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (26.1%)	2 (1.1%)	3 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (9.8%)								(n/a)		36.8	18.2			30.2				34.8	47.6	52.6	45.5	44.4				17.4	33.3	36.8	45.5	28.3	$16,648	$766	$15,882

Frequently Asked Questions about Julian Charter

How many students attend Julian Charter?

In the 2024-25 school year, 203 students attended Julian Charter.

What district is Julian Charter in?

Julian Charter District

Is Julian Charter a good school?

Julian Charter ranks 1695^th of 5857 California alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Julian Charter?

Students at Julian Charter are 43% Hispanic, 38% White, 12% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 2% African American, 1% American Indian.

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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.