Banning Independent Study is an alternative public school in Banning, California that serves grades K-12 with a total enrollment of 83 students. While the school has faced significant challenges, it has also shown some notable improvements in recent years.
Banning Independent Study has seen a dramatic increase in its 4-year graduation rates, rising from 36.6% in 2019-2020 to an impressive 85.7% in 2022-2023, far outpacing the Banning Unified district's overall graduation rate of 30.31% in 2023-2024. The school has also reduced its dropout rates, from 31.7% in 2019-2020 to 14.3% in 2022-2023, though this is still higher than the 2.2% state average for Sage Oak Charter. However, Banning Independent Study continues to struggle with high chronic absenteeism, ranging from 21.4% to 40.9% over the past few years, significantly higher than the 3.4% rate at the nearby Sage Oak Charter School - South.
Academically, Banning Independent Study's test scores are generally lower than the Banning Unified district and the state averages. In 2023-2024, only 29.41% of 11th-grade students at Banning Independent Study were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 30.31% for the district and 55.73% for the state. In Mathematics, Banning Independent Study had 0% proficiency at the 11th-grade level, compared to 10.28% for the district and 27.9% for the state. These results suggest that the alternative charter school model, as seen at nearby schools like Mission Vista Academy, may be more effective in supporting student success than the traditional public school model at Banning Independent Study.
Banning Independent Study ranks in the bottom 2.5% of California alternative schools.
Students at Banning Independent Study are 72% Hispanic, 10% African American, 9% White, 4% American Indian, 2% Two or more races, 1% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander.
In the 2023-24 school year, 96 students attended Banning Independent Study.
Banning Unified