Is Paloma Creek High a good school?

Paloma Creek High ranks in the bottom 7.8% of California high schools.

How many students attend Paloma Creek High?

In the 2023-24 school year, 84 students attended Paloma Creek High.

What is the racial makeup of Paloma Creek High?

Students at Paloma Creek High are 67% White, 31% Hispanic, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more races.

Paloma Creek High

Summary:

Paloma Creek High is a small public high school in Atascadero, California, serving grades 9-12 with a student population of just 76 students. Despite being part of the Atascadero Unified School District, which is ranked 570 out of 1,568 districts in the state, Paloma Creek High has consistently ranked in the bottom quartile of California high schools over the past decade, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

The school's key metrics paint a concerning picture, with low graduation rates ranging from 72.1% to 89.2% over the past five years, much lower than the 93.4% rate at nearby Atascadero High School. Correspondingly, Paloma Creek High has high dropout rates, ranging from 4.6% to 27.9%, significantly higher than the 4.9% rate at Atascadero High. Additionally, the school struggles with extremely high chronic absenteeism, ranging from 64.0% to 99.1%, compared to 43.1% at Atascadero High.

Academically, Paloma Creek High students perform significantly below state and district averages on standardized tests, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science ranging from 0% to 25% in recent years. This is in stark contrast to the nearby Atascadero Choices in Education Academy, which has proficiency rates much closer to or above the state averages. The school's student subgroups, including female, male, Hispanic, and low socioeconomic status students, all perform significantly below their peers at the state and district levels, suggesting equity concerns.

Detail:

Public 9-12

10801 El Camino Real
Atascadero, CA 93422-8867

(805) 462-4350

District: Atascadero Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
2141^st of 2,323 California High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $13,230

Student/teacher ratio: 24.2

Number of students: 84

Racial breakdown:

White:

66.7%

Hispanic:

31.0%

Asian:

1.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 67.9%

See top rated California high schools

Compare Paloma Creek High to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Paloma Creek High ranks worse than 92.2% of high schools in California. It also ranks last among 3 ranked high schools in the Atascadero Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 8.46. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Paloma Creek 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 Paloma Creek High has the smallest high school student body size in the Atascadero Unified School District. Racial makeup is: White (66.7%), Hispanic (31%), Asian (1.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 67.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Atascadero Unified School District. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Paloma Creek High is 24.2. 1 high schools in the Atascadero Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Paloma Creek High employs 3.4 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Paloma Creek High is $13,230, which is the highest among 3 high schools in the Atascadero Unified School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Paloma Creek High:

SchoolDigger ranks Paloma Creek High 2141^st of 2323 California public high schools. (See Paloma Creek High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Male students:

White students:

Atascadero Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Atascadero Unified 570^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Paloma Creek High

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Rank History for all students at Paloma Creek High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	23.02	1152^nd	1653	30.3%
2005	31.51	1010^th	1901	46.9%
2006	10.16	1764^th	1968	10.4%
2007	22.91	1377^th	2063	33.3%
2008	19.28	1572^nd	2117	25.7%
2009	33.49	1242^nd	2238	44.5%
2010	8.32	2047^th	2281	10.3%
2011	26.26	1424^th	2367	39.8%
2012	20.40	1610^th	2354	31.6%
2013	35.07	1182^nd	2426	51.3%
2015	14.46	1613^th	1994	19.1%
2016	13.15	1678^th	2039	17.7%
2017	9.89	1849^th	2021	8.5%
2018	15.89	1583^rd	2017	21.5%
2019	14.07	1804^th	2133	15.4%
2022	14.04	1833^rd	2123	13.7%
2023	16.34	1793^rd	2348	23.6%
2024	8.46	2141^st	2323	7.8%

See the entire list of California High School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Paloma Creek High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	16.08	1456^th	1862	21.8%
2019	18.59	1522^nd	1937	21.4%
2022	9.84	1898^th	1943	2.3%
2023	14.50	1806^th	2247	19.6%
2024	9.99	1973^rd	2235	11.7%

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

Rank History for Female students at Paloma Creek High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	12.10	1484^th	1760	15.7%
2019	6.69	1824^th	1833	0.5%
2022	18.74	1519^th	1858	18.2%

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

Rank History for Male students at Paloma Creek High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	17.57	1405^th	1834	23.4%
2019	15.21	1554^th	1880	17.3%
2022	9.67	1867^th	1916	2.6%
2023	21.56	1571^st	2207	28.8%
2024	9.78	1900^th	2172	12.5%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Paloma Creek High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	10.23	1552^nd	1742	10.9%
2019	21.21	1388^th	1814	23.5%
2023	16.21	1678^th	2142	21.7%

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

Rank History for White students at Paloma Creek High

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	7.93	1056^th	1173	10.0%
2019	3.46	1203^rd	1222	1.6%
2022	3.38	1197^th	1204	0.6%
2023	6.21	1314^th	1434	8.4%
2024	1.81	1395^th	1406	0.8%

See the entire list of Best California High Schools for White 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 Paloma Creek High

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1997	30	2	0	7	1	n/a	n/a	0	40
1998	27	1	0	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	33
1999	48	1	0	9	0	n/a	n/a	0	58
2000	57	1	1	11	2	n/a	n/a	1	73
2001	52	2	2	8	2	n/a	n/a	0	66
2002	72	4	1	15	0	n/a	n/a	0	92
2003	72	4	1	15	0	n/a	n/a	0	92
2004	75	0	1	17	1	n/a	n/a	0	94
2005	74	1	1	13	2	n/a	n/a	1	92
2006	64	0	1	12	1	n/a	n/a	1	79
2007	68	1	1	11	1	n/a	n/a	0	82
2008	56	4	n/a	16	2	n/a	n/a	0	78
2009	53	1	0	4	2	1	0	0	61
2010	37	1	0	22	2	0	4	0	66
2011	62	1	0	29	2	0	0	0	94
2012	86	1	2	37	0	0	6	0	132
2013	65	0	2	33	1	0	5	0	106
2014	43	0	1	34	1	0	17	0	96
2015	51	1	0	24	2	0	7	0	85
2016	35	1	0	19	2	0	6	0	63
2017	23	3	1	25	0	0	1	0	53
2018	36	1	1	34	0	0	2	0	74
2019	45	0	0	26	0	0	1	0	72
2020	44	1	0	30	2	0	3	0	80
2021	35	2	0	23	1	0	1	0	62
2022	28	2	0	18	1	0	1	0	50
2023	50	1	1	22	1	0	1	0	76
2024	56	0	1	26	0	0	1	0	84

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 Paloma Creek High

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1997	40	1.0	40.0	30
1998	33	1.0	33.0	39.4
1999	58	3.5	16.6	34.5
2000	73	4.3	17.0	15.3
2001	66	4.3	15.3	24.2
2002	92	4.0	23.0	22.8
2003	92	4.0	23.0	22.8
2004	94	5.0	18.8	10.6
2005	92	13.9	6.6	29.7
2006	79	3.4	23.2	35.9
2007	82	2.5	32.8	41.5
2008	78	4.7	16.6	51.3
2009	61	5.5	9.2	49.2
2010	66	4.5	14.6	51.5
2011	94	n/a	n/a	75.5
2012	132	3.9	33.8	n/a
2013	106	4.0	26.5	66
2014	96	4.2	22.5	69.8
2015	85	4.0	21.2	45.9
2016	63	3.0	21.0	39.7
2017	53	3.9	13.4	54.7
2018	74	3.0	24.0	67.6
2019	72	3.0	23.3	59.7
2020	80	n/a	n/a	60
2021	62	3.0	20.1	59.7
2022	50	3.0	16.2	60
2023	76	4.7	16.1	65.8
2024	84	3.4	24.2	67.9

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 Paloma Creek High

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1997	40	1.0	40.0	30
1998	33	1.0	33.0	39.4
1999	58	3.5	16.6	34.5
2000	73	4.3	17.0	15.3
2001	66	4.3	15.3	24.2
2002	92	4.0	23.0	22.8
2003	92	4.0	23.0	22.8
2004	94	5.0	18.8	10.6
2005	92	13.9	6.6	29.7
2006	79	3.4	23.2	35.9
2007	82	2.5	32.8	41.5
2008	78	4.7	16.6	51.3
2009	61	5.5	9.2	49.2
2010	66	4.5	14.6	51.5
2011	94	n/a	n/a	75.5
2012	132	3.9	33.8	n/a
2013	106	4.0	26.5	66
2014	96	4.2	22.5	69.8
2015	85	4.0	21.2	45.9
2016	63	3.0	21.0	39.7
2017	53	3.9	13.4	54.7
2018	74	3.0	24.0	67.6
2019	72	3.0	23.3	59.7
2020	80	n/a	n/a	60
2021	62	3.0	20.1	59.7
2022	50	3.0	16.2	60
2023	76	4.7	16.1	65.8
2024	84	3.4	24.2	67.9

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 Paloma Creek High

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2018	$13,230

Data source: California Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Paloma Creek 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 1804^th of 2133 High schools	Ranks 1793^rd of 2348 High schools	8.2%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Paloma Creek High)	12.9	25	12.1%
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (Atascadero Unified)	47.8	53.2	5.4%
11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy (California)	57.3	55.4	1.9%
11th Grade Mathematics (Paloma Creek High)	0	4.4	4.4%
11th Grade Mathematics (Atascadero Unified)	26.5	22.1	4.5%
11th Grade Mathematics (California)	32.2	27.4	4.9%
11th Grade Science (Paloma Creek High)	8.7	7.7	1%
11th Grade Science (Atascadero Unified)	29.5	33.2	3.8%
11th Grade Science (California)	30.4	31.7	1.3%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	72	76	5.6%
African American	0	1
American Indian	0	1
Asian	0	1
Hispanic	26	22	15.4%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	45	50	11.1%
Two or More Races	1	1
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	59.7%	65.8%	6.1%

Schools Near Paloma Creek 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 11th Grade	CAST Science 12th Grade	CAST Science End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts/Literacy End of Course	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 11th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics End of Course	Total
Paloma Creek High	Public	9-12	10801 El Camino Real	Atascadero	93422	San Luis Obispo County	Atascadero Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 462-4350	84	3	24.2	67.9%	56 (66.7%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (31.0%)	1 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.2%)	8.5	2141^st of 2323 public high schools	7.8%		16.3	1793^rd of 2348 public high schools	23.6%	348	4.2		3.3	8.0	8.0	0.0	0.0	$13,230
Atascadero Choices in Education Academy (ACE)	Public	9-12	10801 El Camino Real	Atascadero	93422	San Luis Obispo County	Atascadero Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 462-4350	166	6	29.9	39.8%	113 (68.1%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (25.3%)	2 (1.2%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.8%)	53.1	797^th of 2323 public high schools	65.7%		58.5	682^nd of 2348 public high schools	71.0%	115	34.7		33.3	54.0	54.0	16.0	16.0	$10,065
Atascadero High	Public	9-12	1 High School Hill	Atascadero	93422	San Luis Obispo County	Atascadero Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 462-4300	1,114	60	18.4	44.1%	684 (61.4%)	18 (1.6%)	336 (30.2%)	20 (1.8%)	6 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	44 (3.9%)	50.3	849^th of 2323 public high schools	63.5%		60	659^th of 2348 public high schools	71.9%	190	26.5		26.6	50.6	50.6	23.0	23.0	$10,815
Templeton High	Public	9-12	1200 Main St.	Templeton	93465	San Luis Obispo County	Templeton Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 434-5888	738	37	20.0	20.5%	472 (64.0%)	3 (0.4%)	190 (25.7%)	8 (1.1%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	60 (8.1%)	79.6	331^st of 2323 public high schools	85.8%		63.4	591^st of 2348 public high schools	74.8%	260	42.3		42.1	72.9	72.9	38.8	38.8	$9,654
Templeton Independent Study High	Public	9-12	964 Old County Rd.	Templeton	93465	San Luis Obispo County	Templeton Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 434-5833	89	4	22.2	34.8%	51 (57.3%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (33.7%)	1 (1.1%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (6.7%)	34.1	1307^th of 2323 public high schools	43.7%		33.2	1329^th of 2348 public high schools	43.4%	22	30.0		30.0	34.4	34.4	6.5	6.5	$7,432
Eagle Canyon High	Public	9-12	950 Old County Rd.	Templeton	93465	San Luis Obispo County	Templeton Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 434-5833	13	1	12.7	53.8%	6 (46.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (30.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (23.1%)								(n/a)								$9,181
San Luis Obispo County Community	Public	6-12	2494 Pennington Creek Rd.	San Luis Obispo	93405	San Luis Obispo County	San Luis Obispo County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 782-7354	73	4	18.1	83.6%	17 (23.3%)	2 (2.7%)	49 (67.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (6.8%)	10	2021^st of 2323 public high schools	13.0%		4.8	2320^th of 2348 public high schools	1.2%	299			5.6	14.8	12.8	3.7	2.6	$28,054
San Luis Obispo County Juvenile Court	Public	6-12	1065 Kansas Ave.	San Luis Obispo	93405	San Luis Obispo County	San Luis Obispo County Office of Education	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 781-5395	16	2	8.0	81.3%	4 (25.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (75.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)								$35,372
Grizzly ChalleNGe Charter	Public, Charter	10-12	721 Mendocino Ave. Camp San Lu	San Luis Obispo	93405	San Luis Obispo County	San Luis Obispo County Office of Education	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 782-6882	225	15	15.2	85.8%	15 (6.7%)	8 (3.6%)	190 (84.4%)	3 (1.3%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.1%)	10.7	1966^th of 2323 public high schools	15.4%		18.1	1743^rd of 2348 public high schools	25.8%	223		8.0	8.0	15.3	15.3	0.0	0.0	$14,475
Liberty High (Continuation)	Public	10-12	810 Niblick Rd.	Paso Robles	93446	San Luis Obispo County	Paso Robles Joint Unified	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(805) 769-1600	178	10	18.6	68.0%	42 (23.6%)	2 (1.1%)	130 (73.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.7%)	10.5	1980^th of 2323 public high schools	14.8%		12.1	1944^th of 2348 public high schools	17.2%	36	5.2		6.0	13.9	13.9	1.3	1.3

Paloma Creek High

Paloma Creek High:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Atascadero Unified:

What do you think?

Rank History for Paloma Creek High

Rank History for all students at Paloma Creek High

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Paloma Creek High

Rank History for Female students at Paloma Creek High

Rank History for Male students at Paloma Creek High

Rank History for Hispanic students at Paloma Creek High

Rank History for White students at Paloma Creek High

Enrollment information for Paloma Creek High

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Paloma Creek High

Student/Teacher Ratio Paloma Creek High

Per Pupil Expenditures for Paloma Creek High

Impact of COVID-19 on Paloma Creek High

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Paloma Creek High