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Arete Charter Academy

Q: Is Arete Charter Academy a good school?

Arete Charter Academy ranks 2545 th of 5817 California alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter, Virtual, Alternative Grades K-12

2545^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 5,817 California Alternative Schools

Better than 56% of California alternative schools

Summary

Arete Charter Academy is a K–12 alternative school in Grass Valley, California, with 207 students, in the Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary district. Its latest results show a mixed academic picture, but science is its clearest standout: half of students were proficient, above the state and the average of nearby schools with same-year scores.

Compared with nearby schools, Arete ranked second of six in both science and math, and fourth of six in ELA. Science proficiency was 50%—14 percentage points above California’s 36% and 10 points above the nearby-school average of 40%, though 2 points below the district’s 52%. Math was 32%, 6 points below the state and 10 below the district, but 7 points above the nearby average of 25%. ELA was 51%, about 4 points above the nearby average; it was less than a tenth of a point below the district and above the state’s 49%. Grade-level results vary: fifth-grade ELA was 73%, while fourth-grade math was 24%, 18 points below the state. Attendance is an additional strength: chronic absenteeism was about 1%, compared with 10% in the district and 18% statewide; only ATLAS Learning Academy was lower among nearby schools reporting a comparable figure.

Results have improved over the four years shown: ELA rose 17 percentage points, math 9 points and science 30 points. Arete has moved from below the state to above it in ELA and science, while math remains below both state and district levels and dipped from 35% in 2024–2025 to 32% in 2025–2026. Context matters when comparing schools: Arete’s 2024–2025 student-teacher ratio was 22.5, versus a nearby-school average of 18.9. Its free/reduced lunch eligible measure was 32% in 2024–2025, the third-lowest among the ten schools compared. SchoolDigger ranks Arete’s district—not the school itself—300th of 968 districts, at the 69th percentile with 3 stars.

207

Students ?

22.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,068

Per pupil spending ?

32.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in California receive free school meals.

61%

Kindergartners with all required immunizations (2024-25)

Exemptions: 0% (any vaccine)

16229 Duggans Rd.
Grass Valley, CA 95949-7706

(530) 268-2805

District: Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

76.3%

Hispanic:

13.0%

Two or more races:

9.7%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Arete Charter Academy to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 40th percentile in 2022 → 56th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 16 percentile points since 2022

✓Above the California median (56th percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school42%

District avg47%

California avg42%

Elementary school

2,545^th of 5,817

California public elementary schools ?

Top 44%▲ up 7 pts since 2021

From bottom 49% (2021) to top 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

1,192^nd of 2,740

California public middle schools ?

Top 44%▲ up 46 pts since 2019

From bottom 10% (2019) to top 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of California Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

504^th of 1,530Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary 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
2026	51.2	2545 of 5817	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.5	2623 of 5857	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.5	3268 of 5869	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.6	3674 of 5859	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.3	3511 of 5883	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.1	723 of 1417	49.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	57.1	2129 of 5581	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.7	2596 of 5597	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	25.2	4227 of 5612	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.7	3888 of 5609	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	20.5	4676 of 5635	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	56.0	504 of 1267	60.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	30.7	3809 of 5603	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.8	2887 of 5628	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.5	3609 of 5643	36.0%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2023	3.8	652 of 669	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	27.3	1954 of 2536	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.1	2056 of 2598	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.7	2488 of 2651	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	49.7	1192 of 2740	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.1	946 of 2761	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.1	861 of 2783	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.0	1524 of 2781	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.1	1397 of 2740	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	64.9	270 of 894	69.8%	★★★★☆
2019	13.7	2432 of 2715	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	61.8	792 of 2551	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.1	1504 of 2531	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.9	1594 of 2509	36.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	89.2	187 of 2542	92.6%	★★★★★
2024	59.9	757 of 2579	70.6%	★★★★☆
2023	33.0	1626 of 2531	35.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	48.7	1120 of 2514	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	74.6	531 of 2534	79.0%	★★★★☆
2024	46.6	1172 of 2552	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.9	217 of 763	71.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2026	28.5	1095 of 1490	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.8	1082 of 1520	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.3	1026 of 1537	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	8.7	1451 of 1543	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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

Female (2026)62nd percentile+6 vs school

Male (2026)32nd percentile-24 vs school

White (2026)23rd percentile-33 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)3rd percentile-35 vs school

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)93rd percentile+27 vs school

Female (2024)69th percentile~ school

Male (2026)55th percentile~ school

White (2026)27th percentile-30 vs school

By subject vs California (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy51%~ state avg

Science50%+14 vs state

Mathematics32%-6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Arete Charter Academy

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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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()				CAST Science (2026)						Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2026)								Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)								Vaccination (2024-25)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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 10th 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	Vaccination: Kindergartners with all required immunizations	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Arete Charter Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter, Alternative	K-12	16229 Duggans Rd.	Grass Valley	95949	Nevada County	Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(530) 268-2805	207	9	22.5	32.4%	158 (76.3%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (13.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (9.7%)								(n/a)	60.0	42.1				50.0	60.0	39.4	73.3	44.8	44.8	61.1		51.0	48.0	24.2	33.3	27.6	27.6	38.9		32.2	61%	0%	$21,068	$20,876	$192
Vantage Point Charter	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	10862 Spenceville Rd.	Penn Valley	95946	Nevada County	Penn Valley Union Elementary	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 432-5312	33	4	8.2	66.7%	23 (69.7%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (15.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (12.1%)								(n/a)						53.9								60.0								12.0			$31,497	$30,402	$1,095
Placer County Special Education	Public, Alternative	K-12	360 Nevada St.	Auburn	95603	Placer County	Placer County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 745-1440	85	13	6.7	58.8%	39 (45.9%)	7 (8.2%)	21 (24.7%)	4 (4.7%)	1 (1.2%)	3 (3.5%)	10 (11.8%)								(n/a)
Placer County Court	Public, Alternative	4-12	360 Nevada St.	Auburn	95603	Placer County	Placer County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 745-1440	14	2	5.9	78.6%	7 (50.0%)	1 (7.1%)	5 (35.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Placer County Pathways Charter	Public, Virtual, Charter, Alternative	K-12	360 Nevada St.	Auburn	95603	Placer County	Placer County Office of Education	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(530) 745-1440	293	19	15.4	50.5%	181 (61.8%)	4 (1.4%)	85 (29.0%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (6.1%)								(n/a)	45.5	50.0				45.8	57.9	66.7	77.3	64.0	78.3	50.0		64.0	79.0	48.2	50.0	52.0	69.6	45.8		55.1			$35,093	$32,218	$2,875
Forest Charter	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	470 Searls Ave.	Nevada City	95959	Nevada County	Nevada County Office of Education	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 265-4823	845	40	20.9	44.5%	659 (78.0%)	4 (0.5%)	104 (12.3%)	5 (0.6%)	10 (1.2%)	3 (0.4%)	56 (6.6%)								(n/a)	28.6	41.8	56.3	33.3		37.3	23.1	28.6	35.1	31.8	38.5	37.9	34.6	33.2	28.0	25.0	16.1	9.7	19.5	30.5	20.0	21.0	34%	0%	$27,570	$27,308	$262
ATLAS Learning Academy	Public, Alternative	K-12	870 J St.	Lincoln	95648	Placer County	Western Placer Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 409-2404	80	2	35.5	27.5%	56 (70.0%)	4 (5.0%)	13 (16.3%)	1 (1.3%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (6.3%)								(n/a)		27.3		27.3		30.6						45.5	51.9	44.9						18.2	3.7	14.3			$15,234	$14,440	$794
Horizon Charter	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	873 First St.	Lincoln	95648	Placer County	Horizon Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 408-5200	1,757	67	26.3	55.5%	915 (52.1%)	105 (6.0%)	405 (23.1%)	82 (4.7%)	4 (0.2%)	13 (0.7%)	228 (13.0%)								(n/a)	39.5	40.1		50.0	36.4	43.6	49.5	55.2	51.2	52.0	58.1	53.9	56.2	54.0	44.3	42.6	43.0	42.2	54.7	54.3	46.9	47.4	40%	0%
John Adams Academy - Lincoln	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	1797 Bella Breeze Dr.	Lincoln	95678	Placer County	John Adams Academy - Lincoln District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 209-5540	1,392	64	21.8	23.6%	861 (61.9%)	17 (1.2%)	336 (24.1%)	84 (6.0%)	2 (0.1%)	11 (0.8%)	81 (5.8%)								(n/a)	37.2	42.0				39.6	36.4	43.8	57.4	51.2	61.5	59.1	84.9	53.3	48.3	44.6	33.3	35.7	47.0	40.9	36.4	41.2	90%	1%
American River Charter	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	6620 Wentworth Springs Rd.	Georgetown	95634	El Dorado County	Black Oak Mine Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(530) 333-8340	263	9	29.5	38.0%	204 (77.6%)	2 (0.8%)	22 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	4 (1.5%)	30 (11.4%)								(n/a)	35.3	31.3		36.7		34.9	29.2	29.2	41.2	25.0	36.0	40.0	45.2	35.3	12.5	33.3	17.7	23.8	28.0	12.5	22.6	22.2	10%	0%	$16,768	$16,684	$84

Frequently Asked Questions about Arete Charter Academy

Is Arete Charter Academy a good school?

Arete Charter Academy ranks 2545^th of 5817 California alternative schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Arete Charter Academy in?

Pleasant Ridge Union Elementary

How many students attend Arete Charter Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 207 students attended Arete Charter Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Arete Charter Academy?

Students at Arete Charter Academy are 76% White, 13% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races.

Rate Arete Charter Academy!

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Latest California data All new data »

2013–14 through 2024–25 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026

2025–26 CAST, CSA Spanish & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresOct 15, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJul 1, 2026

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.