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California Area Senior High School

Q: Is California Area Senior High School a good school?

California Area Senior High School ranks in the bottom 24.7% of Pennsylvania high schools.

Q: How many students attend California Area Senior High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 290 students attended California Area Senior High School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of California Area Senior High School?

Students at California Area Senior High School are 84% White, 7% Two or more races, 5% African American, 4% Hispanic.

Q: What schools feed into California Area Senior High School?

California Area Senior High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : California Area Elementary School Middle : California Area Middle School

Public Grades 9-12

513^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 681 Pennsylvania High Schools

Better than 25% of Pennsylvania high schools

Summary

California Area Senior High School is a public high school located in Coal Center, Pennsylvania, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 292 students. The school is part of the California Area School District, which is ranked 437 out of 606 school districts in Pennsylvania and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Over the past few years, California Area Senior High School has seen a significant decline in its statewide ranking, dropping from a high of 127 out of 677 Pennsylvania high schools in 2015-2016 (4-star rating) to a low of 547 out of 686 in 2023-2024 (1-star rating). This decline in ranking and rating is a major concern, suggesting that the school is underperforming compared to other high schools in the state. The school's performance varies across different student subgroups, with particular challenges for its White students and disabled students, who have the lowest rankings and 0-star ratings in recent years.

Compared to nearby high schools, such as Carmichaels Area High School, Belle Vernon Area High School, and Frazier High School, California Area Senior High School generally performs worse in terms of statewide ranking, academic proficiency, and other key metrics. For example, Frazier High School, which is located about 9.5 miles from California Area Senior High School, has significantly higher Keystone Exam proficiency rates, ranging from 55.7% in Algebra I to 59.5% in Biology, compared to California Area Senior High School's lower rates. Despite the school's high percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, ranging from 28.16% to 98.97% in recent years, and increased spending per student, the school's academic underperformance suggests that it may need to implement targeted interventions and strategies to better support student learning and achievement.

290

Students ?

14.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,921

Per pupil spending ?

99%

Free/discounted lunch ?

11 Trojan Way
Coal Center, PA 15423-1013

(724) 785-5800

District: California Area School District

Feeder schools for California Area Senior High School:

Elementary:	California Area Elementary School
Middle:	California Area Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

83.8%

Two or more races:

6.9%

African American:

4.8%

See top rated Pennsylvania high schools

Compare California Area Senior High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 30th percentile in 2015 → 25th in 2025

Strengths

✓98% graduate in 4 years — above the Pennsylvania average (89%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Pennsylvania average (37% vs 52% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (25th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school37%

District avg37%

Pennsylvania avg52%

513^th of 681

Pennsylvania public high schools ?

Bottom 25%▼ down 5 pts since 2015

From bottom 30% (2015) to bottom 25% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

437^th of 606California Area School District among Pennsylvania districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	27.5	513 of 681	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.2	547 of 686	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.9	520 of 674	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	62.3	270 of 634	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	70.7	176 of 537	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.5	385 of 693	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.8	481 of 673	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	67.0	267 of 663	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2016	77.3	127 of 677	81.2%	★★★★☆
2015	42.3	477 of 680	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	33.4	445 of 580	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	56.0	293 of 591	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	69.0	223 of 664	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	71.1	197 of 660	70.2%	★★★★☆
2010	85.2	40 of 649	93.8%	★★★★★
2009	62.8	245 of 632	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	72.0	153 of 621	75.4%	★★★★☆
2007	52.3	373 of 615	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2006	27.0	511 of 604	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	41.3	431 of 593	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	48.5	350 of 590	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2003	60.6	251 of 583	56.9%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2023	10.0	502 of 502	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	21.8	524 of 657	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.0	516 of 665	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	55.9	282 of 651	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	17.4	560 of 664	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.3	503 of 652	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	34.9	451 of 660	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	18.5	550 of 662	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	13.8	519 of 583	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.5	526 of 595	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.1	538 of 577	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)57th percentile+32 vs school

Male (2025)32nd percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)20th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)11th percentile-14 vs school

Disabled (2023)<1st percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

Literature49%-13 vs state

Biology36%-14 vs state

Algebra I26%-18 vs state

★

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Schools Near California Area Senior High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Keystone Exams Algebra I (2025)	Keystone Exams Biology (2025)	Keystone Exams Literature (2025)	PSSA Math (2025)			PSSA English Language Arts (2025)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Keystone Exams Algebra I 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Biology 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Literature 11th Grade	PSSA Math 7th Grade	PSSA Math 8th Grade	PSSA Math All Grades	PSSA English Language Arts 7th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
California Area Senior High School	Public	9-12	11 Trojan Way	Coal Center	15423	Washington County	California Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 785-5800	290	21	14.0	99.0%	243 (83.8%)	14 (4.8%)	11 (3.8%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (6.9%)	27.5	513^th of 681 public high schools	24.7%		22.2	547^th of 686 public high schools	20.3%	34	26.2	35.6	49.2							$20,921	$2,012	$18,909
Brownsville Area High School	Public	9-12	One Falcon Drive	Brownsville	15417	Fayette County	Brownsville Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 785-8200	457	29	15.7	93.0%	359 (78.6%)	28 (6.1%)	10 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (12.9%)	21	548^th of 681 public high schools	19.5%		24.7	539^th of 686 public high schools	21.4%	9	17.9	34.9	44.4							$16,557	$3,232	$13,325
Mon Valley Career and Technology Center	Public	9-12	Five Guttman Avenue	Charleroi	15022	Washington County	Mon Valley Career and Technology Center	No	No	No	No	(724) 489-9581	9	16	.5	66.7%	9 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Bethlehem-Center Junior/Senior High School	Public	7-12	179 Crawford Rd	Fredericktown	15333	Washington County	Bethlehem-Center School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 267-4910	448	51	8.7	97.8%	422 (94.2%)	11 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.3%)	27.7	510^th of 681 public high schools	25.1%		44.6	434^th of 686 public high schools	36.7%	76	23.6	38.4	48.7	27.7	19.4	23.5	38.0	38.8	38.5	$16,408	$492	$15,915
Monessen Senior High School	Public	9-12	1245 State Rd	Monessen	15062	Westmoreland County	Monessen City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(724) 684-7100	193	18	10.8	77.7%	75 (38.9%)	84 (43.5%)	10 (5.2%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (11.9%)	2.3	667^th of 681 public high schools	2.1%		3.9	652^nd of 686 public high schools	5.0%	15	2.5	7.7	12.5							$173	$28	$145
Bentworth Senior High School	Public	9-12	75 Bearcat Dr	Bentleyville	15314	Washington County	Bentworth School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 239-5911	359	67	5.3	98.6%	334 (93.0%)	5 (1.4%)	5 (1.4%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	12 (3.3%)	50	376^th of 681 public high schools	44.8%		67.9	225^th of 686 public high schools	67.2%	151	42.4	51.7	53.6							$16,831	$192	$16,638
Charleroi Area High School	Public	9-12	100 Fecsen Dr	Charleroi	15022	Washington County	Charleroi School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 483-3600	450	28	15.8	47.8%	311 (69.1%)	63 (14.0%)	16 (3.6%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (12.2%)	46.6	416^th of 681 public high schools	38.9%		33.9	489^th of 686 public high schools	28.7%	73	42.2	37.8	61.8							$12,738	$840	$11,898
Frazier High School	Public	9-12	142 Constitution St	Perryopolis	15473	Fayette County	Frazier School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 736-9507	309	22	14.3	49.5%	290 (93.9%)	2 (0.6%)	8 (2.6%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.9%)	65.4	250^th of 681 public high schools	63.3%		24	543^rd of 686 public high schools	20.8%	293	55.7	59.5	58.2							$15,504	$850	$14,654
Carmichaels Area High School	Public	9-12	215 North Vine Street	Carmichaels	15320	Greene County	Carmichaels Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 966-5045	293	25	11.7	96.6%	283 (96.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.7%)	38.1	463^rd of 681 public high schools	32.0%		34.5	487^th of 686 public high schools	29.0%	24	37.1	45.2	46.7							$30,780	$46	$30,734
Belle Vernon Area High School	Public	9-12	425 Crest Ave	Belle Vernon	15012	Westmoreland County	Belle Vernon Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 808-2500	735	43	17.2	99.6%	638 (86.8%)	25 (3.4%)	32 (4.4%)	15 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (3.4%)	53.4	353^rd of 681 public high schools	48.2%		61.3	280^th of 686 public high schools	59.2%	73	32.0	50.3	69.2							$16,799	$753	$16,046

Frequently Asked Questions about California Area Senior High School

What district is California Area Senior High School in?

California Area School District

What schools feed into California Area Senior High School?

California Area Senior High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : California Area Elementary School
Middle : California Area Middle School

How many students attend California Area Senior High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 290 students attended California Area Senior High School.

What is the racial makeup of California Area Senior High School?

Students at California Area Senior High School are 84% White, 7% Two or more races, 5% African American, 4% Hispanic.

Is California Area Senior High School a good school?

California Area Senior High School ranks in the bottom 24.7% of Pennsylvania high schools.

Rate California Area Senior High School!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Pennsylvania 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.