Summary:
Mesquite Continuation High is a small public high school in Ridgecrest, California, serving grades 9-12 and part of the Sierra Sands Unified School District. Unfortunately, this school consistently underperforms academically, with low test scores, graduation rates, and high dropout and chronic absenteeism rates.
Mesquite Continuation High's academic performance is significantly below state and district averages. In 2023-2024, only 13.64% of 11th-grade students were proficient in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 55.73% statewide and 49.31% in the district. In Mathematics, the proficiency rate was just 4.65%, far lower than the 27.9% state average and 20.83% district average. The school also struggles with low graduation rates, ranging from 39.1% to 57.1% over the past five years, and high dropout rates of 24.5% to 37.9%. Additionally, Mesquite Continuation High has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, from 70.2% to 81.7%, indicating that a large proportion of students are missing significant amounts of school.
While Mesquite Continuation High's challenges are concerning, the nearby Burroughs High School, also part of the Sierra Sands Unified School District, performs significantly better academically. In contrast, another nearby school, Trona High, which is part of the Trona Joint Unified School District, faces similar struggles to Mesquite Continuation High. This suggests that the issues at Mesquite Continuation High may be reflective of broader regional challenges. However, the higher-performing Beaumont Middle College High in Banning, California, which serves a student population with a similar socioeconomic profile, demonstrates that these challenges can be addressed through targeted interventions and support.
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