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Ukiah Independent Study Academy

Public, Alternative Grades K-12

1748^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,162 California Alternative Schools

Better than 19% of California alternative schools

Summary

Ukiah Independent Study Academy is a small, K-12 alternative public school serving 118 students within the Ukiah Unified district, offering a flexible, non-traditional educational model for families in the region.

This school stands out for its remarkable success in helping students graduate, with a 94.7% graduation rate that consistently beats both the district and state averages. It also has a very low dropout rate of 2.6%. However, like many alternative schools in the area, it faces significant challenges with academic proficiency in core subjects like math and English, and it has a higher rate of chronic student absences than the state average. Compared to nearby alternatives such as Lakeport Alternative (Home School) and La Vida Charter, Ukiah Independent Study Academy generally shows stronger graduation outcomes.

The school receives significantly more funding per student than several similar schools, which may support its graduation success. It serves a population with high economic need, a common characteristic among the alternative schools in Mendocino County. The key takeaway for parents is that Ukiah Independent Study Academy appears highly effective as an alternative pathway for students to earn a diploma, even if their test scores may not reflect grade-level mastery, making it a vital option for students who may not thrive in a traditional classroom setting.

118

Students ?

17.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,620

Per pupil spending ?

73.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1000 Low Gap Rd.
Ukiah, CA 95482-3737

(707) 472-5096

District: Ukiah Unified

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

44.9%

White:

43.2%

Two or more races:

5.9%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Ukiah Independent Study Academy to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 49th percentile in 2016 → 19th in 2025

Strengths

✓95% graduate in 4 years — above the California average (88%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the California average (18% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (30% vs 19% California)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school18%

District avg26%

California avg41%

1,748^th of 2,162

California public high schools ?

Bottom 19%▼ down 24 pts since 2015

From bottom 43% (2015) to bottom 19% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of California High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1247^th of 1,543Ukiah 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
2023	56.9	985 of 2781	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	23.1	2083 of 2740	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	27.0	1751 of 2477	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	16.8	1748 of 2162	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.8	1344 of 2159	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.9	1386 of 2170	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.7	1568 of 2123	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.4	1201 of 2133	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.5	896 of 2017	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	36.8	1287 of 2021	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	48.1	1043 of 2039	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	42.1	1129 of 1994	43.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	17.6	1559 of 1906	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	48.2	932 of 1915	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	29.0	1342 of 1915	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.6	1442 of 1858	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.7	1115 of 1833	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	61.4	697 of 1760	60.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	19.8	1524 of 1902	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.1	1346 of 1917	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.3	1567 of 1861	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	18.7	1603 of 2013	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.7	1367 of 2026	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.1	1293 of 2030	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.8	1431 of 1943	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.4	1198 of 1937	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.4	977 of 1862	47.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2024	10.1	1844 of 1948	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.8	1508 of 1916	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	52.0	821 of 1880	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.3	1076 of 1834	41.3%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	California percentile	Rating
2025	6.4	1077 of 1155	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	23.3	921 of 1173	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.3	979 of 1204	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.6	865 of 1222	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.8	850 of 1173	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

High school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)20th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2024)20th percentile-18 vs school

Female (2025)18th percentile~ school

White (2025)7th percentile-12 vs school

Male (2024)5th percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs California (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts/Literacy28%-21 vs state

Science20%-13 vs state

Mathematics6%-31 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ukiah Independent Study 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 Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()				CAST Science (2025)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2025)						Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)						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 8th Grade	CAST Science 10th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 4th 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 4th 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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ukiah Independent Study Academy	Public, Alternative	K-12	1000 Low Gap Rd.	Ukiah	95482	Mendocino County	Ukiah Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 472-5096	118	7	17.6	73.7%	51 (43.2%)	1 (0.8%)	53 (44.9%)	1 (0.8%)	5 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (5.9%)								(n/a)				20.0					29.2	27.7					0.0	6.4	$21,620	$20,004	$1,616
Orr Creek	Public, Alternative	K-12	1011 Low Gap Rd.	Ukiah	95482	Mendocino County	Mendocino County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 467-2515	17	2	8.0	82.4%	10 (58.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (23.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (17.6%)								(n/a)																	$66,968	$66,056	$912
West Hills Juvenile Hall Court	Public, Alternative	K-12	585 Low Gap Rd.	Ukiah	95482	Mendocino County	Mendocino County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 901-9055	11	1	11.0	72.7%	1 (9.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (36.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (18.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (36.4%)								(n/a)																	$4,859	$4,560	$299
Sequoia Career Academy	Public, Charter, Alternative	4-12	1031 North State St.	Ukiah	95482	Mendocino County	Sequoia Career Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 463-7080	144	9	15.9	73.6%	51 (35.4%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (47.2%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (11.8%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (5.6%)								(n/a)		25.0		31.6	54.6	18.2	22.2	50.0	35.7	34.0	54.6	19.1	0.0	4.6	0.0	14.1
La Vida Charter	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	16201 North Highway 101	Willits	95490	Mendocino County	La Vida Charter District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(707) 459-6344	60	5	11.9	75.0%	33 (55.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (30.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (11.7%)								(n/a)										15.4
Lakeport Alternative (Home School)	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	2508 Howard Ave.	Lakeport	95453	Lake County	Lakeport Unified	No	(n/a)	Yes	(n/a)	(707) 262-3013	101	6	16.8	76.2%	44 (43.6%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (33.7%)	5 (5.0%)	12 (11.9%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (5.9%)								(n/a)	7.1		23.8	18.4			16.7	0.0	42.9	21.9			8.3	0.0	4.8	6.3	$33,748	$33,430	$318

Frequently Asked Questions about Ukiah Independent Study Academy

What district is Ukiah Independent Study Academy in?

Ukiah Unified

What is the racial makeup of Ukiah Independent Study Academy?

Students at Ukiah Independent Study Academy are 45% Hispanic, 43% White, 6% Two or more races, 4% American Indian.

How many students attend Ukiah Independent Study Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 118 students attended Ukiah Independent Study Academy.

Is Ukiah Independent Study Academy a good school?

Ukiah Independent Study Academy ranks in the bottom 19.1% of California alternative schools.

Rate Ukiah Independent Study Academy!

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Schools in Ukiah, CA

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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.