Is Discovery High a good school?

Discovery High ranks in the bottom 16.0% of California high schools.

How many students attend Discovery High?

In the 2023-24 school year, 128 students attended Discovery High.

What is the racial makeup of Discovery High?

Students at Discovery High are 48% Hispanic, 32% African American, 11% Two or more races, 5% White, 2% Asian, 2% Pacific Islander.

Discovery High

Summary:

Discovery High is a public high school located in Sacramento, California, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 119 students. The school is part of the Natomas Unified School District, which is ranked 869 out of 1,568 districts in California and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Discovery High has consistently ranked in the bottom 10-15% of California high schools over the past several years, with a ranking between 1,172 and 2,078 out of around 2,000-2,400 high schools. This places it in the bottom tier of schools statewide. The school's proficiency rates on standardized tests are significantly below state and district averages, with only 9.46% of 11th-grade students proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 55.73% statewide, and 0% proficient or better in math, compared to 27.9% statewide. Additionally, Discovery High has had a higher dropout rate, ranging from 2.1% to 8.3%, and experienced high chronic absenteeism, ranging from 68.2% to 83.0% in recent years.

When compared to other high schools in the Natomas Unified School District, Discovery High significantly underperforms. For example, Natomas Pacific Pathways Prep, a charter school within the same district, ranks in the top 10% of California high schools and has much higher graduation rates, lower dropout rates, and better test scores. The high rates of chronic absenteeism and dropout at Discovery High suggest that there may be underlying issues, such as student engagement, school climate, or support services, that are contributing to the school's low academic performance.

Detail:

Public 9-12

3401 Fong Ranch Rd.
Sacramento, CA 95834-1797

(916) 928-5200

District: Natomas Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
1951^st of 2,323 California High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $17,356

Student/teacher ratio: 13.1

Number of students: 128

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

47.7%

African American:

32.0%

Two or more races:

10.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 81.3%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Discovery High to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Discovery High ranks worse than 84% of high schools in California. It also ranks last among 5 ranked high schools in the Natomas Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 10.99. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Discovery High who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Discovery High has the smallest high school student body size in the Natomas Unified School District. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (47.7%), African American (32%), two or more races (10.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 81.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Natomas Unified School District. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Discovery High is 13.1, which is the lowest among 5 high schools in the Natomas Unified School District! (See more...)

Compare Discovery High employs 9.7 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Discovery High is $17,356, which is the highest among 5 high schools in the Natomas Unified School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Discovery High:

SchoolDigger ranks Discovery High 1951^st of 2323 California public high schools. (See Discovery High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

Natomas Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Natomas Unified 869^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Discovery High

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Rank History for all students at Discovery High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	15.85	1435^th	1653	13.2%
2005	7.71	1743^rd	1901	8.3%
2006	14.04	1678^th	1968	14.7%
2007	10.31	1863^rd	2063	9.7%
2008	8.52	1910^th	2117	9.8%
2009	30.71	1357^th	2238	39.4%
2010	17.34	1736^th	2281	23.9%
2011	9.27	2059^th	2367	13.0%
2012	6.00	2126^th	2354	9.7%
2013	10.12	2078^th	2426	14.3%
2015	9.52	1875^th	1994	6.0%
2016	12.00	1737^th	2039	14.8%
2017	9.74	1860^th	2021	8.0%
2018	10.40	1820^th	2017	9.8%
2019	13.50	1833^rd	2133	14.1%
2021	10.07	1172^nd	1290	9.1%
2022	11.83	1953^rd	2123	8.0%
2023	11.08	2000^th	2348	14.8%
2024	10.99	1951^st	2323	16.0%

See the entire list of California High School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Discovery High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2022	54.31	268^th	1044	74.3%
2023	31.75	732^nd	1323	44.7%
2024	19.36	1288^th	1350	4.6%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Discovery High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	47.39	521^st	1547	66.3%
2024	22.51	1264^th	1534	17.6%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Discovery High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	11.79	1607^th	1862	13.7%
2019	13.32	1701^st	1937	12.2%
2021	11.93	991^st	1126	12.0%
2022	11.48	1825^th	1943	6.1%
2023	9.07	2049^th	2247	8.8%
2024	10.23	1959^th	2235	12.3%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Discovery High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	7.07	1715^th	1760	2.6%
2019	8.45	1763^rd	1833	3.8%
2021	5.36	1031^st	1054	2.2%
2022	8.30	1823^rd	1858	1.9%
2023	9.91	1901^st	2118	10.2%
2024	7.56	1987^th	2098	5.3%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Discovery High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	11.05	1609^th	1834	12.3%
2019	14.39	1584^th	1880	15.7%
2021	11.50	996^th	1122	11.2%
2022	13.82	1674^th	1916	12.6%
2023	11.30	1885^th	2207	14.6%
2024	13.71	1752^nd	2172	19.3%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Discovery High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	11.86	526^th	582	9.6%
2019	15.53	516^th	592	12.8%
2023	11.34	684^th	720	5.0%
2024	10.17	697^th	721	3.3%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Discovery High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	12.13	1463^rd	1742	16.0%
2019	12.28	1613^th	1814	11.1%
2022	13.39	1639^th	1861	11.9%
2023	12.18	1812^th	2142	15.4%
2024	9.83	1869^th	2125	12.0%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Discovery High

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1997	10	14	3	35	0	n/a	n/a	0	62
1998	20	14	5	45	0	n/a	n/a	0	84
1999	27	30	7	43	0	n/a	n/a	1	108
2000	31	27	7	38	0	n/a	n/a	2	105
2001	21	16	2	14	3	n/a	n/a	0	56
2002	25	42	19	40	2	n/a	n/a	0	128
2003	25	42	19	40	2	n/a	n/a	0	128
2004	29	45	14	53	0	n/a	n/a	0	141
2005	23	46	15	58	2	n/a	n/a	0	144
2006	17	44	25	50	1	n/a	n/a	0	137
2007	9	25	8	24	3	n/a	n/a	1	70
2008	10	48	13	59	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	130
2009	14	60	10	46	1	5	3	0	139
2010	17	55	7	67	1	4	0	0	151
2011	10	60	6	66	1	2	1	0	146
2012	15	49	9	62	1	1	9	0	146
2013	12	38	15	62	0	1	11	0	139
2014	13	42	20	84	1	3	15	0	178
2015	8	49	12	85	1	7	15	0	177
2016	18	55	7	89	0	5	11	0	185
2017	10	47	9	51	1	2	8	0	128
2018	14	40	6	57	0	3	14	0	134
2019	12	32	11	45	2	0	12	0	114
2020	5	31	4	35	3	1	8	0	87
2021	15	31	7	59	2	2	3	0	119
2022	6	21	8	41	0	3	9	0	88
2023	14	23	7	54	0	3	18	0	119
2024	7	41	2	61	1	2	14	0	128

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Discovery High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1997	62	4.5	13.8	0
1998	84	6.2	13.5	29.8
1999	108	7.0	15.4	15.9
2000	105	7.0	15.0	30.1
2001	56	9.0	6.2	26.8
2002	128	8.0	16.0	10.2
2003	128	8.0	16.0	10.2
2004	141	7.8	18.1	17
2005	144	7.8	18.5	19.4
2006	137	8.0	17.1	20.4
2007	70	11.0	6.4	84.1
2008	130	12.0	10.8	66.9
2009	139	9.0	12.6	88.5
2010	151	9.0	16.7	71.5
2011	146	n/a	n/a	63
2012	146	7.0	20.8	n/a
2013	139	9.0	15.4	71.2
2014	178	10.0	17.8	55.1
2015	177	10.0	17.7	58.8
2016	185	10.0	18.5	61.1
2017	128	9.3	13.7	54.7
2018	134	10.2	13.1	66.4
2019	114	10.4	10.9	73.7
2020	87	n/a	n/a	66.7
2021	119	10.2	11.6	66.4
2022	88	10.3	8.5	62.5
2023	119	10.1	11.7	66.4
2024	128	9.7	13.1	81.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Discovery High

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1997	62	4.5	13.8	0
1998	84	6.2	13.5	29.8
1999	108	7.0	15.4	15.9
2000	105	7.0	15.0	30.1
2001	56	9.0	6.2	26.8
2002	128	8.0	16.0	10.2
2003	128	8.0	16.0	10.2
2004	141	7.8	18.1	17
2005	144	7.8	18.5	19.4
2006	137	8.0	17.1	20.4
2007	70	11.0	6.4	84.1
2008	130	12.0	10.8	66.9
2009	139	9.0	12.6	88.5
2010	151	9.0	16.7	71.5
2011	146	n/a	n/a	63
2012	146	7.0	20.8	n/a
2013	139	9.0	15.4	71.2
2014	178	10.0	17.8	55.1
2015	177	10.0	17.7	58.8
2016	185	10.0	18.5	61.1
2017	128	9.3	13.7	54.7
2018	134	10.2	13.1	66.4
2019	114	10.4	10.9	73.7
2020	87	n/a	n/a	66.7
2021	119	10.2	11.6	66.4
2022	88	10.3	8.5	62.5
2023	119	10.1	11.7	66.4
2024	128	9.7	13.1	81.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Discovery High

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2018	$17,356

Data source: California Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Discovery High

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 1833^rd of 2133 High schools	Ranks 2000^th of 2348 High schools	0.8%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Discovery High)	13.5	9.1	4.4%
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Natomas Unified)	57	47.3	9.7%
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	57.3	55.4	1.9%
11th Grade Mathematics (Discovery High)	2	0	2%
11th Grade Mathematics (Natomas Unified)	27	23.2	3.7%
11th Grade Mathematics (California)	32.2	27.4	4.9%
12th Grade Science (Discovery High)	4.4	5.1	0.7%
12th Grade Science (Natomas Unified)	16.3	30.6	14.3%
12th Grade Science (California)	25.6	26.9	1.3%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	114	119	4.4%
African American	32	23	28.1%
American Indian	2	0	100%
Asian	11	7	36.4%
Hispanic	45	54	20%
Pacific Islander	0	3
White	12	14	16.7%
Two or More Races	12	18	50%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	73.7%	66.4%	7.3%

Schools Near Discovery High

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				CAST Science (2024)				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy (2024)					Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2024)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2018)
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 (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CAST Science 8th Grade	CAST Science 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics End of Course	Total
Discovery High	Public	9-12	3401 Fong Ranch Rd.	Sacramento	95834	Sacramento County	Natomas Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 928-5200	128	10	13.1	81.3%	7 (5.5%)	41 (32.0%)	61 (47.7%)	2 (1.6%)	1 (0.8%)	2 (1.6%)	14 (10.9%)	11	1951^st of 2323 public high schools	16.0%		11.1	2000^th of 2348 public high schools	14.8%	49			9.5	9.5				9.5	9.5				0.0	0.0	$17,356
Natomas High	Public	9-12	3301 Fong Ranch Rd.	Sacramento	95834	Sacramento County	Natomas Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 641-4960	1,206	57	21.3	78.3%	89 (7.4%)	249 (20.6%)	631 (52.3%)	135 (11.2%)	10 (0.8%)	25 (2.1%)	63 (5.2%)	28.7	1458^th of 2323 public high schools	37.2%		24.2	1586^th of 2348 public high schools	32.5%	128			11.8	11.8				40.4	40.4				7.6	7.6	$9,704
SAVA - Sacramento Academic and Vocational Academy	Public, Charter	7-12	1214 North Market Blvd.	Sacramento	95834	Sacramento County	SAVA - Sacramento Academic and Vocational Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 286-1920	196	16	12.6	73.5%	22 (11.2%)	41 (20.9%)	94 (48.0%)	4 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.0%)	31 (15.8%)	17.2	1751^st of 2323 public high schools	24.6%		12.9	1911^th of 2348 public high schools	18.6%	160	0.0	8.7	16.7	8.0		12.5	0.0	34.7	24.1		6.3	0.0	2.0	2.5
Inderkum High	Public	9-12	2500 New Market Dr.	Sacramento	95835	Sacramento County	Natomas Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 567-5640	2,242	92	24.4	52.3%	283 (12.6%)	485 (21.6%)	609 (27.2%)	573 (25.6%)	9 (0.4%)	25 (1.1%)	257 (11.5%)	59.2	657^th of 2323 public high schools	71.7%		62.5	609^th of 2348 public high schools	74.1%	48			30.8	30.8				53.2	53.2				25.3	25.3	$6,072
Leroy Greene Academy	Public, Charter	6-12	2950 West River Dr.	Sacramento	95833	Sacramento County	Natomas Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 567-5560	740	38	19.5	61.5%	120 (16.2%)	102 (13.8%)	319 (43.1%)	116 (15.7%)	1 (0.1%)	10 (1.4%)	71 (9.6%)	47.1	937^th of 2323 public high schools	59.7%		46.7	948^th of 2348 public high schools	59.6%	11	32.7	29.6		31.9	28.9	47.1	52.0	53.9	45.2	22.3	23.0	30.7	19.1	23.8	$8,141
Capital College & Career Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	501 Arden Way	Sacramento	95815	Sacramento County	Capital College & Career Academy District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 234-0583	48	6	7.8	66.7%	9 (18.8%)	9 (18.8%)	20 (41.7%)	2 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.1%)	7 (14.6%)								(n/a)
Futures High	Public, Charter	7-12	900 Grace Ave.	Sacramento	95838	Sacramento County	Futures High District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 286-1902	475	19	24.4	88.2%	349 (73.5%)	28 (5.9%)	60 (12.6%)	26 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.5%)	5 (1.1%)	35.8	1243^rd of 2323 public high schools	46.5%		24.7	1575^th of 2348 public high schools	32.9%	332		18.4		17.5				38.1	38.1				20.9	20.9
Natomas Pacific Pathways Prep	Public, Charter	9-12	3700 Del Paso Rd.	Sacramento	95834	Sacramento County	Natomas Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 567-5740	623	33	18.6	37.6%	89 (14.3%)	23 (3.7%)	157 (25.2%)	307 (49.3%)	2 (0.3%)	8 (1.3%)	37 (5.9%)	86	235^th of 2323 public high schools	89.9%		88.7	201^st of 2348 public high schools	91.4%	34		54.5		54.1				82.1	82.1				38.6	38.6	$8,266
Grant Union High	Public	9-12	1400 Grand Ave.	Sacramento	95838	Sacramento County	Twin Rivers Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 566-3450	2,016	96	21.0	90.9%	95 (4.7%)	309 (15.3%)	1,018 (50.5%)	401 (19.9%)	6 (0.3%)	59 (2.9%)	120 (6.0%)	30	1422^nd of 2323 public high schools	38.8%		31.4	1375^th of 2348 public high schools	41.4%	47		15.5	1.7	13.6				38.8	38.8				13.9	13.9
Washington Middle College High	Public, Charter	9-12	637 Todhunder Ave.	West Sacramento	95605	Yolo County	Washington Unified	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(916) 375-7901	149	8	19.7	71.8%	39 (26.2%)	5 (3.4%)	82 (55.0%)	17 (11.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.0%)	95.9	65^th of 2323 public high schools	97.2%		63.5	588^th of 2348 public high schools	75.0%	523		76.2		76.2				85.7	85.7				57.1	57.1	$16,357

Discovery High

Discovery High:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Natomas Unified:

What do you think?

Rank History for Discovery High

Rank History for all students at Discovery High

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Discovery High

Rank History for Special Education students at Discovery High

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Discovery High

Rank History for Female students at Discovery High

Rank History for Male students at Discovery High

Rank History for African American students at Discovery High

Rank History for Hispanic students at Discovery High

Enrollment information for Discovery High

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Discovery High

Student/Teacher Ratio Discovery High

Per Pupil Expenditures for Discovery High

Impact of COVID-19 on Discovery High

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Discovery High

Frequently Asked Questions about Discovery High

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