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Center for Alternative Learning

Q: How many students attend Center for Alternative Learning?

In the 2024-25 school year, 34 students attended Center for Alternative Learning.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Center for Alternative Learning?

Students at Center for Alternative Learning are 38% White, 32% Hispanic, 15% Two or more races, 9% African American, 3% Asian, 3% American Indian.

Public Grades 6-12

Summary

Center for Alternative Learning is a small public high school in Chico Unified School District that serves grades 6-12 with a total enrollment of just 17 students.

Despite its small size, Center for Alternative Learning has consistently struggled academically, ranking in the bottom 10-15% of California high schools over the past 3 years with 0 out of 5 SchoolDigger stars. The school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Math, and Science are significantly lower than the district and state averages. It also has alarmingly high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 17.2% to 80.5%, and dropout rates as high as 100% in recent years. A very high percentage (88-100%) of students at Center for Alternative Learning qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high proportion of students from low-income backgrounds.

In comparison, the nearby Chico High and Pleasant Valley High schools in the Chico Unified District have much higher proficiency rates, graduation rates, and lower chronic absenteeism. Despite its small student population, Center for Alternative Learning spends significantly more per student ($20,089 in 2023-2024) compared to the other high schools in the district ($14,263 for Chico High and $15,041 for Pleasant Valley High), suggesting the school may be receiving additional funding or resources to support its alternative learning model. However, the school's performance has remained consistently poor over the past 3-4 years, with no signs of significant improvement.

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,089

Per pupil spending ?

94.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

290 East Ave.
Chico, CA 95926-1122

(530) 891-3092

District: Chico Unified

Racial breakdown:

White:

38.2%

Hispanic:

32.4%

Two or more races:

14.7%

See top rated California public schools

Compare Center for Alternative Learning to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 9th percentile in 2013 → <1st in 2024

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (4% vs 43% meeting standards)

!Graduation rate below the California average (0% vs 86%)

!Dropout rate above the California average (100% vs 8%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school4%

District avg47%

California avg43%

Not ranked this year

Center for Alternative Learning did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

711^th of 1,543Chico Unified 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	5.3	2771 of 2783	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.6	2671 of 2781	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.3	2705 of 2740	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.3	2573 of 2715	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	3.3	2474 of 2497	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	10.3	2343 of 2477	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	14.0	2153 of 2379	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	13.0	2393 of 2531	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.5	2450 of 2458	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	20.1	2016 of 2369	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)5th percentile~ school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy9%-40 vs state

Mathematics0%-37 vs state

★

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Schools Near Center for Alternative Learning

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 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th 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
Fair View High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	290 East Ave.	Chico	95926	Butte County	Chico Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 891-3092	95	10	9.7	90.5%	36 (37.9%)	4 (4.2%)	42 (44.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (9.5%)	7.2	2141^st of 2162 public high schools	1.0%		13.6	1866^th of 2159 public high schools	13.6%	275	0.0		0.0		3.1	3.1		0.0	0.0	$33,827	$4,500	$29,327
Academy for Change	Public	6-12	290 East Ave.	Chico	95926	Butte County	Chico Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 891-3092	31	3	11.7	93.5%	19 (61.3%)	1 (3.2%)	6 (19.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (12.9%)								(n/a)										$57,073	$3,603	$53,470
Center for Alternative Learning	Public	6-12	290 East Ave.	Chico	95926	Butte County	Chico Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 891-3092	34	3	12.0	94.1%	13 (38.2%)	3 (8.8%)	11 (32.4%)	1 (2.9%)	1 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (14.7%)								(n/a)						9.1			0.0	$20,089	$6,479	$13,610
Chico High	Public	9-12	901 Esplanade	Chico	95926	Butte County	Chico Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 891-3026	1,804	81	22.3	56.8%	881 (48.8%)	45 (2.5%)	594 (32.9%)	87 (4.8%)	17 (0.9%)	12 (0.7%)	160 (8.9%)	84.4	321^st of 2162 public high schools	85.2%		77.9	439^th of 2159 public high schools	79.7%	118	49.3		48.4		74.9	74.9		39.9	39.9	$14,263	$1,101	$13,162
Inspire School of Arts and Sciences	Public, Charter	9-12	335 West Sacramento Ave.	Chico	95926	Butte County	Inspire School of Arts and Sciences District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 891-3090	332	22	14.8	40.4%	200 (60.2%)	4 (1.2%)	55 (16.6%)	7 (2.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (9.0%)	87.3	258^th of 2162 public high schools	88.1%		91.8	181^st of 2159 public high schools	91.6%	77		68.8	68.8		81.5	81.5		33.8	33.8	$15,505	$384	$15,121
Pleasant Valley High	Public	9-12	1475 East Ave.	Chico	95926	Butte County	Chico Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 891-3050	1,978	88	22.4	46.3%	1,164 (58.8%)	45 (2.3%)	420 (21.2%)	132 (6.7%)	25 (1.3%)	7 (0.4%)	179 (9.0%)	83.4	348^th of 2162 public high schools	83.9%		80.5	405^th of 2159 public high schools	81.2%	57	44.1	6.7	42.8		75.1	75.1		44.3	44.3	$15,041	$950	$14,091
Pivot Charter School North Valley II	Public, Virtual, Charter	6-12	1350 East Ninth St. Ste. 150	Chico	95928	Butte County	Pivot Charter School North Valley II District	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(530) 636-4479	105	5	22.8	65.7%	44 (41.9%)	1 (1.0%)	25 (23.8%)	4 (3.8%)	3 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (24.8%)	35.4	1373^rd of 2162 public high schools	36.5%		39	1266^th of 2159 public high schools	41.4%	107	18.2	35.7	27.3	36.4	42.9	43.1	18.2	2.9	8.6	$15,208	$912	$14,296
Butte County Regional Occupational Program	Public	9-12	2491 Carmichael Dr. Ste. 100	Chico	95928	Butte County	Butte County Regional Occupational Program	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(530) 879-7462	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Hamilton Community Day	Public	7-12	535 Sacramento Ave.	Hamilton City	95951	Glenn County	Hamilton Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 826-3261	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Durham High	Public	9-12	9455 Putney Dr.	Durham	95938	Butte County	Durham Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 895-4685	320	19	16.4	38.8%	213 (66.6%)	2 (0.6%)	77 (24.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (8.4%)	60.7	806^th of 2162 public high schools	62.7%		81.4	388^th of 2159 public high schools	82.0%	418	37.5		37.5		50.0	50.0		28.2	28.2	$19,365	$1,099	$18,266

Frequently Asked Questions about Center for Alternative Learning

What district is Center for Alternative Learning in?

Chico Unified

What is the racial makeup of Center for Alternative Learning?

Students at Center for Alternative Learning are 38% White, 32% Hispanic, 15% Two or more races, 9% African American, 3% Asian, 3% American Indian.

How many students attend Center for Alternative Learning?

In the 2024-25 school year, 34 students attended Center for Alternative Learning.

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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.