Best High Schools in Zip Code 95820

This analysis examines three high schools serving grades 9-12 in Sacramento's 95820 zip code, revealing extreme performance differences within the same local area.

West Campus is a standout, consistently ranking among the top schools in California with exceptional academic scores, a near-perfect graduation rate, and very low student absenteeism. In stark contrast, SAVA - Sacramento Academic and Vocational Academy - SCUSD faces severe challenges, with critically low proficiency rates—especially in math—and a high dropout rate. Hiram W. Johnson High falls in the middle, showing some recent improvement but still grappling with high chronic absenteeism and below-average academic performance compared to the Sacramento City Unified district and state averages.

Key findings show that higher per-student funding does not automatically lead to better results, as the top-performing school operates with less money than a lower-performing peer. Chronic absenteeism is a strong indicator of academic struggle across the schools. Furthermore, the wide gap in outcomes within one zip code highlights significant educational disparities, with students at the highest-performing school being many times more likely to succeed in core subjects than those at the lowest-performing school.