Summary:
The Paradise Elementary District in California is home to two elementary schools: Paradise Charter and Paradise Elementary. Based on the available data, Paradise Charter appears to be the standout school in the district, consistently outperforming Paradise Elementary and the state average on various academic metrics.
Paradise Charter has higher test scores across subjects and grade levels, with 70.59% of 4th graders scoring proficient or better in ELA compared to 63.64% at Paradise Elementary and 43.9% statewide. The charter school also has a higher statewide ranking, placing in the top 25% of California elementary schools, while Paradise Elementary ranks in the bottom 40-60%. Additionally, Paradise Charter has a lower chronic absenteeism rate of 23.6% compared to 19.2% at Paradise Elementary.
Despite the performance gap, both schools serve high-need populations, with two-thirds of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. However, the higher chronic absenteeism rate and lower test scores at Paradise Elementary raise concerns about whether all students are receiving equitable educational opportunities within the district. The significant enrollment difference between the two schools (122 students at Paradise Charter versus 71 at Paradise Elementary) may also indicate that families are choosing to send their children to the higher-performing charter school, which could have implications for resource allocation and school funding.
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