Orangewood High (Continuation)

Orangewood High (Continuation) is a small, alternative public high school serving about 260 students in grades 9-12 within the Redlands Unified School District, designed to support students who have struggled in traditional high school settings.

The school faces significant challenges, most notably an extremely high rate of chronic student absenteeism, which is about four times the district average and is the most critical barrier to academic success. While Orangewood receives more funding per student than traditional high schools in the district like Redlands East Valley High and Redlands Senior High, and has a lower student-to-teacher ratio, its academic proficiency rates in English, math, and science are dramatically lower—often 40 to 60 percentage points behind. Its performance is similar to other continuation schools, such as San Andreas High, but contrasts sharply with high-performing nearby schools like Grove School.

Graduation rates at Orangewood have shown considerable year-to-year volatility, unlike the stable rates at neighboring comprehensive high schools. The school has seen notable improvements for some groups of students, indicating that targeted support can be effective. Ultimately, Orangewood serves a high-needs population, and its outcomes highlight both the profound difficulties these students face and the potential for progress when the right interventions, particularly to address attendance, are in place.