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Bear River High

Q: Is Bear River High a good school?

Bear River High ranks 370 th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

370^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 83% of California high schools

Summary

Bear River High is a public high school located in Grass Valley, California, serving 634 students in grades 9-12 and part of the Nevada Joint Union High School District.

Bear River High consistently performs above the state and district averages in academic assessments, with 75.19% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy and 46.09% proficient or better in Science in 2024-2025. The school also maintains a strong four-year graduation rate, ranging from 86.2% to 92.7%, and lower dropout rates than the district and state. While the school performs well for Hispanic and special education students, it ranks lower for white and low socioeconomic status students, suggesting potential equity gaps that need to be addressed.

Within the same district, William & Marian Ghidotti High stands out as an exceptional school, ranking 3rd out of all California high schools in 2024-2025. In contrast, Silver Springs High (Continuation) and John Muir Charter, which are also in the vicinity, perform significantly lower than Bear River High and the state averages, highlighting the need for targeted support and interventions for students in alternative educational settings.

664

Students ?

24.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,616

Per pupil spending ?

25.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

11130 Magnolia Rd.
Grass Valley, CA 95949-8366

(530) 268-3700

District: Nevada Joint Union High

Feeder schools for Bear River High:

Elementary:	Alta Sierra Elementary
	Clear Creek Elementary
	Cottage Hill Elementary
Middle:	Magnolia Intermediate

Racial breakdown:

White:

73.2%

Hispanic:

17.2%

Two or more races:

5.7%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Bear River High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 87th percentile in 2015 → 83rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (53% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 17% of California high schools

✓94% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school53%

District avg49%

California avg41%

370^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 17%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From top 13% (2015) to top 17% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 5High Schools in the Nevada Joint Union High

422^nd of 1,543Nevada Joint Union High 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
2025	82.4	370 of 2162	82.9%	★★★★☆
2024	75.8	473 of 2159	78.1%	★★★★☆
2023	67.6	615 of 2170	71.7%	★★★★☆
2022	55.2	819 of 2123	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	76.3	283 of 1290	78.1%	★★★★☆
2019	85.4	269 of 2133	87.4%	★★★★☆
2018	74.0	514 of 2017	74.5%	★★★★☆
2017	86.4	277 of 2021	86.3%	★★★★☆
2016	84.3	302 of 2039	85.2%	★★★★☆
2015	85.3	267 of 1994	86.6%	★★★★☆
2013	61.1	513 of 2426	78.9%	★★★★☆
2012	65.5	404 of 2354	82.8%	★★★★☆
2011	61.3	477 of 2367	79.8%	★★★★☆
2010	61.7	476 of 2281	79.1%	★★★★☆
2009	68.0	288 of 2238	87.1%	★★★★☆
2008	70.9	261 of 2117	87.7%	★★★★☆
2007	75.5	185 of 2063	91.0%	★★★★★
2006	62.2	421 of 1968	78.6%	★★★★☆
2005	58.5	433 of 1901	77.2%	★★★★☆
2004	57.2	382 of 1653	76.9%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	59.0	290 of 1161	75.0%	★★★★☆
2021	85.5	50 of 555	91.0%	★★★★★
2018	47.8	415 of 1052	60.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	82.0	318 of 1906	83.3%	★★★★☆
2024	73.6	450 of 1915	76.5%	★★★★☆
2023	68.8	533 of 1915	72.2%	★★★★☆
2022	41.9	1004 of 1858	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	80.3	185 of 1054	82.4%	★★★★☆
2019	83.3	270 of 1833	85.3%	★★★★☆
2018	73.2	478 of 1760	72.8%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	79.9	305 of 1900	83.9%	★★★★☆
2024	95.9	61 of 1902	96.8%	★★★★★
2023	54.9	792 of 1917	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	40.7	1083 of 1861	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	90.3	122 of 1814	93.3%	★★★★★
2018	74.7	410 of 1742	76.5%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	63.6	673 of 2013	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.4	631 of 2026	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	78.7	346 of 2030	83.0%	★★★★☆
2022	56.0	729 of 1943	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	89.0	97 of 1126	91.4%	★★★★★
2019	84.1	222 of 1937	88.5%	★★★★☆
2018	70.5	507 of 1862	72.8%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	78.7	379 of 1942	80.5%	★★★★☆
2024	75.3	435 of 1948	77.7%	★★★★☆
2023	63.0	621 of 1963	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.4	656 of 1916	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	67.1	318 of 1122	71.7%	★★★★☆
2019	81.3	298 of 1880	84.1%	★★★★☆
2018	70.4	521 of 1834	71.6%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	57.5	376 of 1252	70.0%	★★★★☆
2024	63.5	289 of 1216	76.2%	★★★★☆
2023	59.2	313 of 1197	73.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	63.3	427 of 1155	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.4	684 of 1173	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.0	589 of 1193	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	33.3	812 of 1204	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	63.1	445 of 1222	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.4	610 of 1173	48.0%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)84th percentile~ school

Female (2025)83rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)80th percentile~ school

Disabled (2022)75th percentile+14 vs school

Special Education (2025)70th percentile-13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)67th percentile-16 vs school

White (2025)63rd percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy75%+26 vs state

Science46%+14 vs state

Mathematics38%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Bear River High

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 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy All Grades	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
Bear River High	Public	9-12	11130 Magnolia Rd.	Grass Valley	95949	Nevada County	Nevada Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 268-3700	664	27	24.1	25.2%	486 (73.2%)	1 (0.2%)	114 (17.2%)	14 (2.1%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	38 (5.7%)	82.4	370^th of 2162 public high schools	82.9%		75.8	473^rd of 2159 public high schools	78.1%	103	46.1		46.2	75.2	75.2	38.3	38.3	$21,616	$1,048	$20,568
Colfax High	Public	9-12	24995 Ben Taylor Rd.	Colfax	95713	Placer County	Placer Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 346-2284	611	28	22.0	21.3%	465 (76.1%)	3 (0.5%)	61 (10.0%)	5 (0.8%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (11.1%)	83.9	337^th of 2162 public high schools	84.4%		90.8	204^th of 2159 public high schools	90.6%	133	51.8		52.1	61.7	61.7	49.7	49.7	$20,203	$915	$19,288
Confluence Continuation High	Public	10-12	332 Finley St.	Auburn	95603	Placer County	Placer Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 885-8401	103	5	20.1	58.3%	60 (58.3%)	2 (1.9%)	26 (25.2%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (10.7%)	9.8	2028^th of 2162 public high schools	6.2%		12.2	1930^th of 2159 public high schools	10.6%	98	3.3		10.0	6.7	6.7	3.9	3.9	$13,440	$1,969	$11,471
Maidu Virtual Charter Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter	9-12	332 Finley St.	Auburn	95603	Placer County	Maidu Virtual Charter Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(530) 745-5763	114	8	14.8	43.9%	78 (68.4%)	1 (0.9%)	19 (16.7%)	2 (1.8%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (9.6%)								(n/a)
Placer High	Public	9-12	275 Orange St.	Auburn	95603	Placer County	Placer Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 885-4581	1,265	57	22.2	29.9%	719 (56.8%)	12 (0.9%)	366 (28.9%)	27 (2.1%)	13 (1.0%)	5 (0.4%)	115 (9.1%)	76.9	463^rd of 2162 public high schools	78.6%		72.2	538^th of 2159 public high schools	75.1%	75	43.3		42.3	70.2	70.2	33.7	33.7	$27,284	$1,350	$25,934
John Muir Charter	Public, Charter	6-12	960 McCourtney Rd.	Grass Valley	95949	Nevada County	John Muir Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 272-4008	629	38	16.6	94.3%	56 (8.9%)	56 (8.9%)	459 (73.0%)	6 (1.0%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	40 (6.4%)	18.9	1716^th of 2162 public high schools	20.6%		13.5	1870^th of 2159 public high schools	13.4%	154		19.6	19.2	14.1	13.9	6.4	6.3	$18,096	$498	$17,598
Silver Springs High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	130 Park Ave.	Grass Valley	95945	Nevada County	Nevada Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 272-2635	80	9	8.4	97.5%	59 (73.8%)	1 (1.3%)	8 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.3%)	1 (1.3%)	6 (7.5%)	13.5	1855^th of 2162 public high schools	14.2%		15.1	1817^th of 2159 public high schools	15.8%	38	6.9		5.9	19.4	19.4	3.3	3.3	$28,704	$2,808	$25,896
Bitney Prep High	Public, Charter	9-12	135 Joerschke Dr.	Grass Valley	95945	Nevada County	Nevada County Office of Education	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 477-1235	91	7	13.0	57.1%	47 (51.6%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (29.7%)	69.8	605^th of 2162 public high schools	72.0%		70	566^th of 2159 public high schools	73.8%	39		47.1	47.1	63.6	63.6	21.7	21.7	$16,780	$949	$15,831
Foresthill High	Public	9-12	23319 Foresthill Rd.	Foresthill	95631	Placer County	Placer Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 367-5244	190	11	17.2	36.8%	138 (72.6%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (18.4%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (7.9%)	69.3	614^th of 2162 public high schools	71.6%		76.7	464^th of 2159 public high schools	78.5%	150	40.5		40.5	72.1	72.1	23.3	23.3	$16,538	$1,113	$15,425
William & Marian Ghidotti High	Public	9-12	250 Sierra College Dr.	Grass Valley	95945	Nevada County	Nevada Joint Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 274-5270	155	5	32.0	21.3%	115 (74.2%)	1 (0.6%)	20 (12.9%)	6 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (6.5%)	99.4	3^rd of 2162 public high schools	99.9%		99.5	3^rd of 2159 public high schools	99.9%		91.4		91.7	100.0	100.0	88.9	88.9	$16,407	$559	$15,848

Frequently Asked Questions about Bear River High

How many students attend Bear River High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 664 students attended Bear River High.

What district is Bear River High in?

Nevada Joint Union High

Is Bear River High a good school?

Bear River High ranks 370^th of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Bear River High?

Students at Bear River High are 73% White, 17% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What schools feed into Bear River High?

Bear River High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Alta Sierra Elementary
Elementary : Clear Creek Elementary
Elementary : Cottage Hill Elementary
Middle : Magnolia Intermediate

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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.