Summary:
In the 95409 zip code of Santa Rosa, CA, there are two middle schools—Rincon Valley Middle (grades 7-8) and Santa Rosa Accelerated Charter (grades 5-6)—both operating within the Santa Rosa High school district, which ranks in the bottom third statewide.
Santa Rosa Accelerated Charter stands out dramatically for its academic excellence, with over 88% of students proficient in math and English, far exceeding both district and state averages. It also has an exceptionally low chronic absenteeism rate of 3.9%. In comparison, Rincon Valley Middle is a larger, consistently performing school with solid state rankings and proficiency rates that are also above the struggling district average, though notably lower than the charter school's.
The data reveals an interesting contrast: the charter school achieves its top-tier results with a higher student-teacher ratio and slightly lower per-student spending than the traditional middle school. Both schools significantly outperform their Santa Rosa High district averages, demonstrating that school-level effectiveness can vary widely even within the same community and administrative system.
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