Pinnacle Coastal Valley High

Pinnacle Coastal Valley High serves 77 students in grades 9–12 in King City, in South Monterey County. Its attendance and completion figures raise serious concerns: in 2025–26, 74% of students were chronically absent, compared with 15% in the South Monterey County Joint Union High district and 18% statewide; the graduation rate was 75%, and the dropout rate was 25%. The most urgent finding is the exceptionally high chronic absenteeism: only one of five nearby high schools with figures was higher, at 80%.

Among the 2024–25 test results, math was the strongest subject relative to the district and nearby schools, while science was the weakest locally. Math proficiency was 9% at Pinnacle, compared with 13% in the district and an 11% average at five nearby high schools, but it remained 29 points below the state’s 37%. ELA proficiency was 26%, 23 points below the state and 11 points below the nearby-school average. Science proficiency was just 5%, versus 23% in the district, 33% statewide and a 19% nearby-school average; it was the lowest result among those schools.

Results have moved in different directions: from 2022–23 to 2024–25, math proficiency rose from 0% to 9%, ELA rose from 22% to 26% despite a dip in between, and science fell from 8% to 0% before reaching 5%. SchoolDigger ranked Pinnacle in the 20th percentile with one star in 2024–25, the lowest percentile among nearby grades 9–12 schools with rank data; this was up from the 12th percentile the year before. The 20.3 student-teacher ratio was above the nearby-school average of 17.8. In 2024–25, 86% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, compared with an 83% average at the five nearby schools; these figures provide context, not an explanation for academic results. The latest reported test results are from 2024–25 because 2025–26 school test scores are state-suppressed.