Central High (Continuation)

Central High (Continuation) is a small, specialized public high school serving about 73 students in grades 9-12 within the Barstow Unified school district, designed to support students who have faced significant challenges in a traditional school setting.

The school serves a high-needs population, which is reflected in its intensive resources, including very high per-student spending and a low student-to-teacher ratio. However, it faces profound challenges, with chronic absenteeism affecting nearly three-quarters of students and academic proficiency rates in core subjects below 10%. These factors contribute to a graduation rate of 50% and a dropout rate of 35%, both significantly worse than state averages and those of the district's comprehensive Barstow High. Interestingly, the school's outcomes are notably better for female students than for male students, suggesting a need for tailored support approaches.

Comparisons with nearby schools highlight both the difficulty of its mission and potential for different outcomes. While Silver Valley High in a neighboring district performs much higher on most metrics, a more relevant comparison is with Calico Continuation High, another continuation school. Both schools share similar challenges with attendance and student poverty, yet Calico reports a 100% graduation rate, indicating that continuation schools can achieve strong results, pointing to areas where Central High's program might be improved.