San Francisco Sun

Downtown High School's dropout rate in the 2018-19 school year decreased by 35.3% compared to the previous school year’s dropout rate of 28.3%, according to the California Department of Education (CDE).

CDE data of graduation and dropout rates confirms there is a growing achievement gap between Latino, Black, and English learner students. The achievement gap refers to the disparities in academic performance associated with race and class.

According to data provided by the National Center for Education Statistics in 2018, of the 48 states where data was collected, Black males remain at the bottom of four-year high school graduation rates.

Closing the achievement gap earlier in the schooling process, such as during elementary school, can improve high school graduation rates and decrease dropout rates. Individually tailored student support is one way that is proposed to accomplish this.

In The Long-Term Impact of Systemic Student Support in Elementary School: Reducing High School Dropout, Terrence J. Lee-St. John, a Biostatistician at the Research Department of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, says, “Students often fail to complete high school for complex reasons that often manifest long before they reach high school. Individually tailored student support during elementary school can lead to lasting and meaningful effects.”

Ranking	School	Drop-out rate	2017-18 Drop-out rate
1	Millennium High Alternative	0	0
1	Piedmont High School	0	0
1	Amador County Special Education	0	--
1	Biggs High School	0	6.5
1	Durham High School	0	1.2
1	Maxwell Sr High School	0	3.4
1	Pierce High School	0	1
1	Mid Valley High School (Continuation)	0	11.8
1	Miramonte High School	0	0.7
1	Middle College High School	0	0
1	California High School	0	0.2
1	Monte Vista High School	0	0.5
1	Kingsburg High School	0	0.8
1	Parlier High School	0	1.5
1	Sierra High School	0	0
1	Hamilton High School	0	0
1	Princeton Junior-Senior High School	0	--
1	McKinleyville High School	0	4.7
1	Hoopa Valley High School	0	0
1	South Fork Junior - Senior High School	0	2.7
1	Ferndale High School	0	0
1	Big Pine High School	0	--
1	Bishop Union High School	0	1.5
1	Boron Junior-Senior High School	0	2.4
1	Desert Junior-Senior High School	0	0
…
1609	North State Independence High School	17.2	10.7
1609	California Virtual Academy @ San Diego	17.2	22.3
1609	Gould Educational Center	17.2	14.7
1612	Willits High School	17.3	9.1
1613	Frontier High School	17.4	24.4
1614	School for the Visual Arts and Humanities	17.5	22.2
1615	Liberty High School (Continuation)	17.6	15.2
1616	Shery (Kurt T.) High School (Continuation)	17.7	11.6
1617	Liberty High (Alternative)	17.8	26.3
1617	Valley Atwater Community	17.8	16.1
1619	Helen Hunt Jackson College Prep High School	17.9	22.3
1619	W.E.B. DuBois Public Charter	17.9	36.2
1621	Jack London Continuation	18	20.5
1621	Alvord Alternative Continuation High School	18	16.3
1623	Mendota High School	18.1	17.6
1624	Westwood High School	18.2	7.1
1624	Independence Continuation	18.2	16.4
1624	Elsie Allen High School	18.2	20.6
1624	East Stanislaus High School	18.2	18
1624	Centennial Continuation High School	18.2	21.1
1624	William Finch	18.2	9.1
1624	Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert	18.2	2.1
1624	Antelope Valley Learning Academy	18.2	25.3
1624	San Joaquin Valley High School	18.2	20
1624	Mountain Park	18.2	11.8
1634	Downtown High School	18.3	28.3
1635	Charter Community School Home Study Academy	18.4	22.2
1635	Pioneer Continuation High School	18.4	20.5
1635	Aspire Lionel Wilson College Preparatory Academy	18.4	14.8
1635	Orange Grove High School	18.4	41.4
1639	iQ Academy California-Los Angeles	18.5	27.7
1640	Black Diamond High School (Continuation)	18.6	18
1640	Thomas Jefferson Senior High School	18.6	20.3
1640	Alessandro High School	18.6	21.5
1640	Oak View High School & Education Center	18.6	18.4
1640	Crossroads Charter	18.6	12.2
1640	New Designs Charter	18.6	13
1646	Susan Miller Dorsey Senior High School	18.7	24.8
1646	East Los Angeles Renaissance Academy at Esteban E. Torres High No. 2	18.7	10.6
1646	Moreno Valley Online Academy	18.7	10.3
1649	Buena Vista High School (Continuation)	18.8	12.5
1649	Dr. Doug Sears Learning Center	18.8	4.5
1649	Las Flores High (Alternative)	18.8	24.7
1649	Slover Mountain High School (Continuation)	18.8	26.3
1649	West Side Valley High School (Continuation)	18.8	0
1649	Soldier Mountain High School (Continuation)	18.8	23.1
1649	San Juan Choices Charter	18.8	13.9
1649	Oak Glen High School	18.8	3.4
1649	Evergreen High School	18.8	6.9
1658	Blair High School	18.9	21.6
1658	Phoenix High School (Continuation)	18.9	12.8
…
2150	Santa Cruz County Court	74.3	36.6
2151	S.F. County Special Education	75	--
2152	San Diego County Court	75.3	78.3
2153	San Bernardino County Juvenile Detention and Assessment Center	75.7	68.9
2154	Highlands Community Charter	76.2	60.9
2155	Solano County Community	76.5	78.9
2156	MethodSchools	77.8	45.8
2157	Center for Alternative Learning	78.9	78.9
2158	Gateway College and Career Academy	81.6	40.4
2159	Clovis Community Day Secondary School	83.3	--
2160	Sonoma County Court	84.6	67.6
2161	EPIC de Cesar Chavez	85.3	63.5
2162	Dan Jacobs	86.7	--
2162	Santa Cruz County Career Advancement Charter	86.7	--
2164	SIATech Academy South	87.7	55.2
2165	Sonoma County Alternative Education Programs	88.9	36.4
2166	Opportunity Youth Academy	89.1	42.6
2167	Hart-Ransom Academic Charter	89.5	4.5
2168	Escuela Popular/Center for Training and Careers Family Learning	90.1	90.1
2168	Santa Clara County Special Education	90.1	20.3
2170	Siskiyou County Special Education	90.9	--
2170	Oroville High Community Day	90.9	90.9
2172	Family First Charter	92.7	71.6
2173	Civicorps Corpsmember Academy	93.3	31.8
2174	New Opportunities Charter	96.5	93.8