Fernando R. Ledesma Continuation High ranked 1,900th among California schools in the 2018-19 school year with a drop-out rate of 30 percent, according to the California Department of Education.
CDE data shows that graduation and dropout rates continue to confirm that 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 Centre for Education Statistics in 2018, of the 48 states where data was collected, Black males remain at the bottom of 4 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 drop-out rates. Individually tailored student support is one way that has been 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.”
Top 100 Schools Ranked by Drop-Out Rate
| Rank | School | District | Drop-Out rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cerritos High | ABC Unified | 0.0 |
| 1 | Whitney (Gretchen) High | ABC Unified | 0.0 |
| 1 | Miramonte High | Acalanes Union High | 0.0 |
| 1 | Alameda Community Learning Center | Alameda Unified | 0.0 |
| 1 | Alameda Science and Technology Institute | Alameda Unified | 0.0 |
| 1 | Amador County Special Education | Amador County Office of Education | 0.0 |
| 1 | Oxford Academy | Anaheim Union High | 0.0 |
| 1 | Academies of the Antelope Valley | Antelope Valley Union High | 0.0 |
| 1 | SOAR High (Students On Academic Rise) | Antelope Valley Union High | 0.0 |
| 1 | Dozier-Libbey Medical High | Antioch Unified | 0.0 |
| 1 | Academy for Academic Excellence | Apple Valley Unified | 0.0 |
| 1 | Arcadia High | Arcadia Unified | 0.0 |
| 1 | Anzar High | Aromas – San Juan Unified | 0.0 |
| 1 | Tioga High | Big Oak Flat-Groveland Unified | 0.0 |
| 1 | Big Pine High | Big Pine Unified | 0.0 |
| 1 | Big Valley Jr. Sr. High | Big Valley Joint Unified | 0.0 |
| 1 | Biggs High | Biggs Unified | 0.0 |
| 1 | Bishop Union High | Bishop Unified | 0.0 |
| 1 | Trivium Charter | Blochman Union Elementary | 0.0 |
| 1 | Clarksville Charter | Buckeye Union Elementary | 0.0 |
| 1 | Burbank Unified Independent Learning Academy (BUILA) | Burbank Unified | 0.0 |
| 1 | Calistoga Junior-Senior High | Calistoga Joint Unified | 0.0 |
| 1 | Whitmore Charter High | Ceres Unified | 0.0 |
| 1 | Charter Oak High | Charter Oak Unified | 0.0 |
| 1 | Oak Knoll Alternative | Charter Oak Unified | 0.0 |
| … | |||
| 1876 | Table Mountain | Butte County Office of Education | 28.6 |
| 1876 | Diego Hills Central Public Charter | Dehesa Elementary | 28.6 |
| 1876 | Happy Camp High | Siskiyou Union High | 28.6 |
| 1879 | Afflerbaugh-Paige Camp | Los Angeles County Office of Education | 28.8 |
| 1880 | Eric Birch High (Continuation) | Fontana Unified | 28.9 |
| 1880 | Angel’s Gate (Continuation) | Los Angeles Unified | 28.9 |
| 1882 | Abraham Lincoln Alternative | Southern Kern Unified | 29.0 |
| 1883 | Orangewood High (Continuation) | Redlands Unified | 29.1 |
| 1884 | HomeTech Charter | Paradise Unified | 29.2 |
| 1885 | Youth Opportunities Unlimited | Los Angeles Unified | 29.3 |
| 1886 | Scholar Plus Online Learning | Perris Union High | 29.4 |
| 1886 | San Andreas Continuation High | San Benito High | 29.4 |
| 1886 | John B. Allard | Stanislaus County Office of Education | 29.4 |
| 1886 | Tustin Connect | Tustin Unified | 29.4 |
| 1890 | Pacific Career and Technology High | Twin Rivers Unified | 29.5 |
| 1891 | Colusa Alternative Home | Colusa Unified | 29.6 |
| 1891 | Central High | Los Angeles Unified | 29.6 |
| 1893 | Desert Oasis High (Continuation) | Central Union High | 29.7 |
| 1893 | California Virtual Academy at Sutter | Meridian Elementary | 29.7 |
| 1895 | Ellington (Duke) High (Continuation) | Los Angeles Unified | 29.8 |
| 1896 | Bidwell Continuation High | Antioch Unified | 29.9 |
| 1897 | Noyo High (Continuation) | Fort Bragg Unified | 30.0 |
| 1897 | MERIT Academy | Grossmont Union High | 30.0 |
| 1897 | Captain John Continuation High | Klamath-Trinity Joint Unified | 30.0 |
| 1900 | Opportunities for Learning – Duarte | Duarte Unified | 30.1 |
| 1900 | Fernando R. Ledesma Continuation High | El Monte Union High | 30.1 |
| 1902 | Phoenix Continuation | Los Angeles Unified | 30.2 |
| 1903 | La Sierra High (Alternative) | Fullerton Joint Union High | 30.4 |
| 1903 | Mt. Lukens Continuation | Los Angeles Unified | 30.4 |
| 1903 | Monarch | San Diego County Office of Education | 30.4 |
| 1906 | Deep Creek Academy | Farmersville Unified | 30.6 |
| 1906 | Avalon High | Los Angeles Unified | 30.6 |
| 1908 | Gilbert High (Continuation) | Anaheim Union High | 30.8 |
| 1908 | Mt. Olive Innovation and Technology High | Duarte Unified | 30.8 |
| 1908 | Sierra Home | Mariposa County Unified | 30.8 |
| 1908 | San Joaquin County Special Education | San Joaquin County Office of Education | 30.8 |
| 1912 | R. K. Lloyde High | Centinela Valley Union High | 30.9 |
| 1912 | Pioneer Technical Center | Madera County Superintendent of Schools | 30.9 |
| 1914 | California Virtual Academy at Kings | Armona Union Elementary | 31.0 |
| 1914 | Inspire Charter School – South | Dehesa Elementary | 31.0 |
| 1914 | Vista West Continuation High | Kern High | 31.0 |
| 1917 | Horizons School: Independent Study | Mt. Diablo Unified | 31.3 |
| 1917 | Bill M. Manes High | San Pasqual Valley Unified | 31.3 |
| 1919 | Confluence Continuation High | Placer Union High | 31.4 |
| 1919 | La Entrada Continuation High | San Juan Unified | 31.4 |
| 1919 | San Luis Obispo County Community | San Luis Obispo County Office of Education | 31.4 |
| 1922 | Foothill High | East Side Union High | 31.5 |
| 1922 | New Designs Charter School-Watts | Los Angeles Unified | 31.5 |
| 1922 | Pathway Independent Study | Lynwood Unified | 31.5 |
| 1922 | Royal Sunset (Continuation) | San Lorenzo Unified | 31.5 |
| 1926 | Eureka Community | Humboldt County Office of Education | 31.6 |
| … | |||
| 2157 | Solano County Community | Solano County Office of Education | 76.5 |
| 2158 | MethodSchools | Dehesa Elementary | 77.8 |
| 2159 | Center for Alternative Learning | Chico Unified | 78.9 |
| 2160 | Gateway College and Career Academy | Riverside County Office of Education | 81.6 |
| 2161 | Clovis Community Day Secondary | Clovis Unified | 83.3 |
| 2162 | Sonoma County Court | Sonoma County Office of Education | 84.6 |
| 2163 | EPIC de Cesar Chavez | Nevada County Office of Education | 85.3 |
| 2164 | Santa Cruz County Career Advancement Charter | Santa Cruz County Office of Education | 86.7 |
| 2164 | Dan Jacobs | Yolo County Office of Education | 86.7 |
| 2166 | SIATech Academy South | Acton-Agua Dulce Unified | 87.7 |
| 2167 | Sonoma County Alternative Education Programs | Sonoma County Office of Education | 88.9 |
| 2168 | Opportunity Youth Academy | Santa Clara County Office of Education | 89.1 |
| 2169 | Hart-Ransom Academic Charter | Hart-Ransom Union Elementary | 89.5 |
| 2170 | Escuela Popular/Center for Training and Careers Family Learning | East Side Union High | 90.1 |
| 2170 | Santa Clara County Special Education | Santa Clara County Office of Education | 90.1 |
| 2172 | Oroville High Community Day | Oroville Union High | 90.9 |
| 2172 | Siskiyou County Special Education | Siskiyou County Office of Education | 90.9 |
| 2174 | Family First Charter | Centinela Valley Union High | 92.7 |
| 2175 | Civicorps Corpsmember Academy | Oakland Unified | 93.3 |
| 2176 | New Opportunities Charter | Centinela Valley Union High | 96.5 |
| 2177 | Imperial County Special Education | Imperial County Office of Education | 100.0 |
| 2177 | Clear Passage Educational Center | Long Beach Unified | 100.0 |
| 2177 | Merced County Special Education | Merced County Office of Education | 100.0 |
| 2177 | Lighthouse Community Charter High | Oakland Unified | 100.0 |
| 2177 | Special Education | Tulare County Office of Education | 100.0 |
