Summary:
ZIP code 95485 has two public high schools in Upper Lake Unified, both serving grades 9–12: Upper Lake High enrolls 307 students, while Clover Valley High (Continuation) enrolls 14. The schools therefore serve very different-sized student populations, and Clover Valley is a continuation school. The most important shared concern is chronic absenteeism: in 2025–2026, it was 49% at Upper Lake and 96% at Clover Valley.
Upper Lake High stands out for its 97% graduation rate in 2025–2026, 5 points above the district and 10 above the state, but its absenteeism rate was also 30 points above the state’s 18%. Its English result, 46%, was close to California’s 49%; math at 12% and science at 20% were further below state results of 38% and 36%. Clover Valley High (Continuation) stands out for the highest reported absenteeism, 48 points above Upper Lake. Clover Valley has no test-score figures in the supplied data, so the schools cannot be compared academically.
Upper Lake High’s results are improving: its English score rose 20 points from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, narrowing its gap with the state by 20 points; math rose 3 points and science 5, though both remain well below state results. SchoolDigger’s rating also improved to two stars and the 34th percentile, from one star and the 23rd percentile the year before, but remained below its 37th-percentile standing in 2023–2024. For 2024–2025, free/reduced lunch eligible measures were 83% at Upper Lake and 93% at Clover Valley; student–teacher ratios were 18:1 and 14.1:1, respectively. These figures offer context as families weigh a much larger comprehensive school against a small continuation school.
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