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North Monterey County Center for Independent Study

Public Grades 7-12

1203^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California High Schools

Better than 44% of California high schools

Summary

North Monterey County Center for Independent Study is a small, alternative high school serving just 96 students in grades 7-12 in Salinas, CA, offering a flexible, non-traditional educational model within the North Monterey County Unified district.

This school stands out for its strong and balanced academic results, particularly in mathematics where it significantly outperforms both the district average and nearby alternative schools like Central Bay High (Continuation) and El Puente. It maintains a high graduation rate comparable to the district's comprehensive North Monterey County High and has achieved impressively low dropout rates, which is notable for an alternative program. The school also demonstrates effective use of resources, achieving these outcomes with lower per-student spending than many similar schools in the area.

While the school faces a challenge with student attendance, its independent study model appears effective in supporting consistent learning and graduation even for students who need a flexible schedule. The school's statewide ranking has shown positive improvement in recent years, indicating it is a steadily improving option that provides a quality, cost-effective alternative within its district context.

Students ?

23.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,126

Per pupil spending ?

83.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

17500 Pesante Rd.
Salinas, CA 93907-1552

(831) 633-7050

District: North Monterey County Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

78.1%

White:

18.8%

Not Specified:

2.1%

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Compare North Monterey County Center for Independent Study to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 27th percentile in 2023 → 44th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 44th (2025) from a 27th-percentile low (2023)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (27% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (31% vs 19% California)

!English Language Arts/Literacy scores 18 pts below the California average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school27%

District avg22%

California avg41%

1,203^rd of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 44%▲ up 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 3High Schools in the North Monterey County Unified

1332^nd of 1,543North Monterey County 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	28.8	1865 of 2783	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.4	2016 of 2781	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.4	2110 of 2740	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	36.5	1104 of 1804	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2005	46.2	872 of 1777	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2004	30.8	1179 of 1769	33.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	31.8	1601 of 2509	36.2%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	55.8	837 of 2388	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	30.2	1625 of 2374	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	20.3	1996 of 2359	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	42.9	1276 of 2579	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.5	1036 of 2531	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	23.8	1956 of 2458	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2022	17.6	2169 of 2527	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	42.4	1203 of 2162	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.3	1360 of 2159	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.7	1580 of 2170	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.2	1466 of 2123	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.8	1215 of 2133	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.1	1401 of 2017	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	45.0	1128 of 2021	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	41.7	1165 of 2039	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	44.1	953 of 2426	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	45.6	892 of 2354	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	40.1	1059 of 2367	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2010	52.4	691 of 2281	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	59.2	493 of 2238	78.0%	★★★★☆
2008	62.5	428 of 2117	79.8%	★★★★☆
2007	48.3	693 of 2063	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2006	44.3	749 of 1968	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2005	43.0	735 of 1901	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2004	43.9	611 of 1653	63.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	43.1	1046 of 1906	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.0	1272 of 1915	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.5	1438 of 1915	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.3	1074 of 1858	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.1	1032 of 1833	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.7	1278 of 1760	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	50.5	919 of 1900	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.2	1098 of 1902	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.4	1503 of 1917	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.1	1433 of 1861	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.0	1197 of 1814	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	25.5	1259 of 1742	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	52.5	147 of 328	55.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	41.6	1178 of 2013	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.7	1186 of 2026	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.8	1530 of 2030	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.9	1528 of 1943	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.8	1166 of 1937	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.5	1348 of 1862	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	36.7	1207 of 1942	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	22.9	1488 of 1963	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.4	1519 of 1916	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.8	1344 of 1880	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.9	1383 of 1834	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2019	36.8	799 of 1222	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	17.8	968 of 1173	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Middle school

Hispanic (2024)65th percentile+32 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)51st percentile+18 vs school

Female (2022)36th percentile+13 vs school

Male (2022)14th percentile-9 vs school

High school

Homeless (2024)55th percentile+18 vs school

Hispanic (2025)52nd percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)45th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)41st percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)38th percentile-7 vs school

White (2019)35th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics32%-5 vs state

English Language Arts/Literacy31%-18 vs state

Science19%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near North Monterey County Center 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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				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 (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 10th Grade	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	% 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
North Monterey County Center for Independent Study	Public	7-12	17500 Pesante Rd.	Salinas	93907	Monterey County	North Monterey County Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 633-7050	96	4	23.5	83.3%	18 (18.8%)	0 (0.0%)	75 (78.1%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42.4	1203^rd of 2162 public high schools	44.4%		35.3	1360^th of 2159 public high schools	37.0%	157		17.7		18.6	35.3	31.1	32.4	31.9	75.0	85.0	85.0	85.0	80.0	85.0	$21,126	$20,104	$1,022
Central Bay High (Continuation)	Public	9-12	17500 Pesante Rd.	Salinas	93907	Monterey County	North Monterey County Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 663-2997	23	3	7.6	100.0%	2 (8.7%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (91.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7.1	2143^rd of 2162 public high schools	0.9%					(n/a)		0.0		0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0							$84,454	$82,090	$2,364
North Monterey County High	Public	9-12	13990 Castroville Blvd.	Castroville	95012	Monterey County	North Monterey County Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 633-5221	1,250	57	21.7	84.5%	94 (7.5%)	2 (0.2%)	1,132 (90.6%)	11 (0.9%)	3 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (0.6%)	36	1359^th of 2162 public high schools	37.1%		42.9	1175^th of 2159 public high schools	45.6%	184		17.7		17.4	52.1	52.1	7.9	7.9							$17,900	$15,918	$1,982
Rancho San Juan High	Public	9-12	1100 Rogge Rd.	Salinas	93906	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 273-7700	1,600	77	20.7	84.1%	73 (4.6%)	9 (0.6%)	1,449 (90.6%)	41 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.1%)	26 (1.6%)	54	949^th of 2162 public high schools	56.1%		45.5	1114^th of 2159 public high schools	48.4%	165	22.4	36.5	15.4	28.5	55.9	55.9	20.9	20.9							$30,245	$28,660	$1,585
North Salinas High	Public	9-12	55 Kip Dr.	Salinas	93906	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 796-7500	2,106	105	20.1	93.5%	52 (2.5%)	13 (0.6%)	1,933 (91.8%)	71 (3.4%)	3 (0.1%)	5 (0.2%)	25 (1.2%)	39.7	1266^th of 2162 public high schools	41.4%		38	1291^st of 2159 public high schools	40.2%	25	13.6	22.4	6.3	16.8	47.8	47.8	17.4	17.4							$28,872	$27,186	$1,686
Everett Alvarez High	Public	9-12	1900 Independence Blvd.	Salinas	93906	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 796-7800	1,978	91	21.8	92.7%	21 (1.1%)	9 (0.5%)	1,860 (94.0%)	62 (3.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	24 (1.2%)	40.6	1246^th of 2162 public high schools	42.4%		41.9	1193^rd of 2159 public high schools	44.7%	53	16.3	30.2	13.6	21.0	47.9	47.9	14.6	14.6							$27,907	$26,138	$1,769
Salinas Community	Public	7-12	615 Leslie Dr.	Salinas	93906	Monterey County	Monterey County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 755-9520	101	5	20.4	88.1%	5 (5.0%)	3 (3.0%)	93 (92.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17.7	1729^th of 2162 public high schools	20.0%		13.8	1856^th of 2159 public high schools	14.0%	127			7.7	5.6	16.7	13.8	8.0	6.7							$57,013	$47,710	$9,303
Mission Trails Regional Occupational Program	Public	9-12	867 East Laurel Dr.	Salinas	93905	Monterey County	Mission Trails Regional Occupational Program	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(831) 753-4209	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Mount Toro High	Public	9-12	10 Sherwood Pl.	Salinas	93906	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 796-7700	204	14	14.7	96.1%	3 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	199 (97.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	9.3	2052^nd of 2162 public high schools	5.1%		12.8	1902^nd of 2159 public high schools	11.9%	150		1.7	2.2	1.9	6.9	6.9	0.0	0.0							$78,647	$70,020	$8,627
Carr Lake Community Day	Public	7-12	10 Sherwood Pl.	Salinas	93906	Monterey County	Salinas Union High	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(831) 796-7700	18	2	9.0	94.4%	1 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (88.9%)	1 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)				0.0											$92,819	$89,736	$3,083

Frequently Asked Questions about North Monterey County Center for Independent Study

Is North Monterey County Center for Independent Study a good school?

North Monterey County Center for Independent Study ranks 1203^rd of 2162 California high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of North Monterey County Center for Independent Study?

Students at North Monterey County Center for Independent Study are 78% Hispanic, 19% White, 2% Not Specified, 1% Asian.

What district is North Monterey County Center for Independent Study in?

North Monterey County Unified

How many students attend North Monterey County Center for Independent Study?

In the 2024-25 school year, 96 students attended North Monterey County Center for Independent Study.

Rate North Monterey County Center for Independent Study!

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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.