Summary:
Zip code 96023 in Dorris, California, is served by two public schools—Butte Valley Elementary (grades K-8) and Butte Valley High (grades 9-12)—operating within the Butte Valley Unified district and sharing a campus for their combined 313 students.
The two schools present a contrasting picture of performance and resources. Butte Valley High stands out for its perfect 100% graduation rate and 0% dropout rate, which are well above state averages, and it maintains a lower rate of chronic student absenteeism. In contrast, Butte Valley Elementary faces significant challenges, ranking in the bottom 4% of elementary schools statewide and grappling with a chronic absenteeism rate nearly three times higher than the high school's. A notable disparity exists in resources, with the high school benefiting from a much lower student-to-teacher ratio and higher per-student spending.
Academically, both schools have proficiency rates in English, math, and science that are below state averages, with science scores being particularly low. However, the elementary school's higher absenteeism and much larger class sizes appear to correlate with its more severe academic struggles. The high school's strong success in keeping students enrolled and graduating, despite lower test scores, suggests effective support systems. For families, this indicates a district where the high school environment is notably supportive for student retention, while the elementary school experience is marked by significant academic and attendance hurdles that the district is working to address.
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