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Decoto School for Independent Study

Q: Is Decoto School for Independent Study a good school?

Decoto School for Independent Study ranks 466 th of 2162 California alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Virtual, Alternative Grades K-12

466^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California Alternative Schools

Better than 78% of California alternative schools

Summary

Decoto School for Independent Study is a public K-12 alternative school serving 233 students in Union City, CA, within the New Haven Unified School District, and it has shown remarkable recent improvement across several key areas.

The school's latest data reveals a significant positive turnaround: chronic absenteeism dropped dramatically to 11.2%, graduation rates rose to 76.1%, and test scores in English and science now exceed both district and state averages. This is particularly notable as the school serves a population where 65% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and these gains follow a period of much lower performance, indicating a period of substantial change. Compared to nearby alternatives, Decoto spends more per student ($23,914) than schools like The Pleasanton Virtual Academy and the nearby Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay, yet it maintains a student-teacher ratio of 23-to-1, which is higher than some virtual counterparts.

While the recent progress is impressive, the school's history of year-to-year volatility in test scores and dropout rates suggests these improvements are part of a recent trend. When looking at other options, Circle of Independent Learning serves a similar student population with comparable spending, while The Pleasanton Virtual Academy serves a more affluent community and has higher test scores but also a higher dropout rate. For families considering an independent study model, Decoto presents a case of a school investing heavily per student and achieving strong, recent academic results with a high-needs population.

233

Students ?

23.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,490

Per pupil spending ?

65.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

725 Whipple Rd.
Union City, CA 94587-2400

(510) 476-2696

District: New Haven Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

43.3%

Asian:

31.3%

White:

9.0%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Decoto School for Independent Study to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 50th percentile in 2021 → 78th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the California average (50% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 22% of California alternative schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 28 percentile points since 2021

Worth a look

!Graduation rate below the California average (76% vs 88%)

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

!Large classes — about 23 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school50%

District avg43%

California avg41%

466^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Top 22%▲ up 53 pts since 2015

From bottom 26% (2015) to top 22% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

596^th of 1,543New Haven 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	30.4	3844 of 5859	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.6	2718 of 5883	53.8%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	16.0	999 of 1154	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	46.1	2629 of 5635	53.3%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	42.9	2671 of 5084	47.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	48.4	2374 of 5264	54.9%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	45.0	2709 of 5663	52.2%	★★★☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	37.4	1549 of 2783	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.8	2172 of 2781	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	47.8	1236 of 2740	54.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	27.7	1756 of 2531	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	54.6	955 of 2509	61.9%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	49.9	1002 of 2359	57.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	30.0	1776 of 2579	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	9.4	2476 of 2531	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	48.0	1079 of 2458	56.1%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	20.7	2064 of 2552	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	5.5	2529 of 2538	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	40.8	1316 of 2527	47.9%	★★☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	76.8	466 of 2162	78.4%	★★★★☆
2024	42.8	1178 of 2159	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.0	1174 of 2170	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.8	1362 of 2123	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.0	647 of 1290	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.3	1352 of 2133	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	17.0	1557 of 2017	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	20.0	1505 of 2021	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	32.1	1332 of 2039	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	20.5	1480 of 1994	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	15.6	480 of 573	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	90.6	42 of 1085	96.1%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	69.2	529 of 1906	72.2%	★★★★☆
2024	46.5	975 of 1915	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.7	925 of 1915	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	24.9	1395 of 1858	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.6	871 of 1054	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.5	1118 of 1833	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	18.3	1400 of 1760	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	74.8	398 of 1900	79.1%	★★★★☆
2024	30.9	1339 of 1902	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.6	1102 of 1917	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.8	1143 of 1861	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.5	1381 of 1814	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.1	1408 of 1742	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	75.0	443 of 2013	78.0%	★★★★☆
2024	34.1	1356 of 2026	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.0	1365 of 2030	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.2	1167 of 1943	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.5	612 of 1126	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.1	1465 of 1937	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.3	1628 of 1862	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	79.3	373 of 1942	80.8%	★★★★☆
2024	28.7	1366 of 1948	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.3	1301 of 1963	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.4	1044 of 1916	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	64.7	344 of 1122	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	27.1	1325 of 1880	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.1	1558 of 1834	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Low Socio Economic Status (2022)55th percentile~ school

Female (2022)53rd percentile~ school

Male (2022)52nd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2022)47th percentile-6 vs school

Asian (2022)13th percentile-40 vs school

Middle school

Hispanic (2022)58th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)31st percentile-13 vs school

Female (2023)31st percentile+9 vs school

Male (2024)19th percentile-25 vs school

High school

English Language Learner (2024)96th percentile+51 vs school

Male (2025)81st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)79th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)78th percentile~ school

Female (2025)72nd percentile-6 vs school

Asian (2024)16th percentile-29 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy60%+11 vs state

Mathematics44%+6 vs state

Science43%+10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Decoto School for Independent Study

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()				CAST Science (2025)					Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)								Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)								% Completely Immunized (2022)	% Polio (2022)	% Hepatitis B (2022)	% Varicella (2022)	% DTP (2022)	% MMR (2022)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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 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	% Completely Immunized KG	% Polio KG	% Hepatitis B KG	% Varicella KG	% DTP KG	% MMR KG	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Decoto School for Independent Study	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	725 Whipple Rd.	Union City	94587	Alameda County	New Haven Unified	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(510) 476-2696	233	10	23.0	65.2%	21 (9.0%)	15 (6.4%)	101 (43.3%)	73 (31.3%)	1 (0.4%)	8 (3.4%)	13 (5.6%)								(n/a)			48.7		42.9					57.1		53.9	60.0					35.7		43.6	43.5							$23,490	$20,852	$2,638
Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	703 C St.	Union City	94587	Alameda County	Connecting Waters Charter - East Bay District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(209) 874-1119	540	30	17.9	30.4%	115 (21.3%)	21 (3.9%)	48 (8.9%)	242 (44.8%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	108 (20.0%)								(n/a)	57.9	40.5	57.9		52.5	60.0	55.6	71.1	73.8	66.7	69.1	92.1	69.8	55.0	66.7	55.3	50.0	57.1	47.6	50.0	54.3	56.8	65.9	81.8	65.9	61.4	65.9
California School for the Blind	Public, Alternative	K-12	500 Walnut Ave.	Fremont	94536	Alameda County	California School for the Blind (State Special Schl)	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 794-3800	42	8	5.2	40.5%	5 (11.9%)	1 (2.4%)	25 (59.5%)	9 (21.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.4%)	1 (2.4%)								(n/a)													22.2								6.3
Hayward Twin Oaks Montessori	Public, Charter, Alternative	1-12	951 Palisade St.	Hayward	94542	Alameda County	Hayward Twin Oaks Montessori District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 370-3334	643	18	34.9	37.9%	94 (14.6%)	23 (3.6%)	297 (46.2%)	91 (14.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.9%)	131 (20.4%)								(n/a)	28.9	30.0		20.0	26.9	40.0	41.7	37.8	50.0	47.6	38.3	33.3	41.5	44.4	35.4	24.4	40.0	34.9	31.7	7.1	31.9
California School for the Deaf-Fremont	Public, Alternative	K-12	39350 Gallaudet Dr.	Fremont	94538	Alameda County	California School for the Deaf-Fremont (State Special Schl)	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 794-3666	279	65	4.3	98.9%	50 (17.9%)	16 (5.7%)	161 (57.7%)	30 (10.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	18 (6.5%)								(n/a)		0.0	0.0		5.7				0.0		8.3	15.8	11.4				0.0		0.0	0.0	4.2
Circle of Independent Learning	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	4700 Calaveras Ave.	Fremont	94538	Alameda County	Fremont Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 797-0100	394	17	23.7	46.2%	50 (12.7%)	20 (5.1%)	102 (25.9%)	195 (49.5%)	1 (0.3%)	9 (2.3%)	17 (4.3%)								(n/a)	38.5	35.0		38.3	38.7		57.1	61.5	70.0	47.4	42.5	67.3	57.8		42.9	30.8	50.0	21.1	32.5	50.9	40.5							$29,974	$29,952	$22
Alameda County Community	Public, Alternative	K-12	313 West Winton Ave.	Hayward	94544	Alameda County	Alameda County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 670-4590	73	5	13.8	58.9%	2 (2.7%)	8 (11.0%)	55 (75.3%)	5 (6.8%)	1 (1.4%)	1 (1.4%)	1 (1.4%)								(n/a)		0.0			0.0						7.1	9.1	7.1						0.0		0.0							$92,109	$77,826	$14,283
Castro Valley Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	18400 Clifton Way	Castro Valley	94546	Alameda County	Castro Valley Unified	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(510) 537-3193	45	4	12.4	40.0%	11 (24.4%)	2 (4.4%)	13 (28.9%)	10 (22.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (20.0%)								(n/a)				20.0	20.0							72.7	72.7							36.4	36.4							$27,095	$26,994	$101
The Pleasanton Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	4750 First St.	Pleasanton	94566	Alameda County	Pleasanton Unified	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(925) 426-4260	138	9	15.2	14.5%	51 (37.0%)	2 (1.4%)	20 (14.5%)	46 (33.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	18 (13.0%)								(n/a)			41.2		61.5						90.9	72.2	85.5						81.8	44.4	71.7							$20,782	$20,510	$272
Alameda County Juvenile Hall/Court	Public, Alternative	K-12	2500 Fairmont Ave.	San Leandro	94578	Alameda County	Alameda County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(510) 670-7609	56	8	6.7	94.6%	3 (5.4%)	29 (51.8%)	23 (41.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.8%)								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Decoto School for Independent Study

Is Decoto School for Independent Study a good school?

Decoto School for Independent Study ranks 466^th of 2162 California alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Decoto School for Independent Study?

Students at Decoto School for Independent Study are 43% Hispanic, 31% Asian, 9% White, 6% African American, 6% Two or more races, 3% Pacific Islander.

How many students attend Decoto School for Independent Study?

In the 2024-25 school year, 233 students attended Decoto School for Independent Study.

What district is Decoto School for Independent Study in?

New Haven Unified

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Latest California data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataMar 13, 2026

2024–25 CSA Spanish test scoresDec 22, 2025

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesNov 14, 2025

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.