Summary:
The city of Rolling Hills, California is home to two very different public schools: Palos Verdes Distance Learning Academy, a small alternative virtual school serving grades K-12, and Rancho del Mar High (Continuation), a continuation high school serving grades 10-12. Both schools are part of the highly-ranked Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District.
Palos Verdes Distance Learning Academy stands out as a high-performing school, with a small enrollment of 53 students. In contrast, Rancho del Mar High (Continuation) struggles academically, with significantly lower test scores compared to the district and state averages. For example, in 11th grade English Language Arts, Rancho del Mar had a 33.33% proficiency rate, far below the district's 83.99% and the state's 55.73%. However, Rancho del Mar does have a relatively high 4-year graduation rate of 96.9%, though it also has a higher dropout rate of 3.1%.
Both schools face challenges with high chronic absenteeism rates, with Palos Verdes Distance Learning Academy at 95.3% and Rancho del Mar High (Continuation) at 84.1%. Interestingly, both schools have relatively low free/reduced lunch rates, suggesting their student populations may come from more affluent families. The continuation high school model at Rancho del Mar High (Continuation) may also be a factor in its lower academic performance, as these schools often serve students who have struggled in traditional high school settings.
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