Report: Columbus among poorest performing schools in the state

DOWNEY – Columbus High School is among California’s lowest performing schools, according to a new state report.

A study drafted by the California Department of Education listed Downey’s continuation school amongst the lowest five percent academically in the state, using data pulled from the California School Dashboard, which measures school performance using factors such as suspension and graduation rates, college and career readiness, and subject performance.

The Dashboard ranks each category on a color-coded system from red, to orange, to yellow, to green, to blue, representing poorer performance up to highest performance respectively.

On this ranking system, Columbus scored a yellow ranking in suspension rates and graduation rates, while scoring reds in college and career readiness, mathematics, and English language arts.

By comparison, Downey High School received yellows in college / career readiness, mathematics and English language arts, a green in suspension rate and blue in graduation rate.

Warren scored slightly lower than Downey, earning oranges in suspension rates and mathematics, yellows in English language arts and college / career readiness, and blue in graduation rates.

DUSD released a statement in response to the report, focusing on a broader picture of student success.

“This is the first-time alternative education schools have been included within the Dashboard results, so with this initial baseline-data we are happy to receive these results to both celebrate our areas of achievement and work on the areas that need to be improved.

“Clearly test scores are important, but the focus at Columbus High School is more than test scores, it’s the whole child. With the largest number of students that are categorized as ‘at risk’ we work every day to provide them with academic support as well as the social and emotional support needed to make them successful upon graduation.

“With a graduation rate of 81.9%, we model practices at Columbus that are constantly refining to improve student achievement and advance post-secondary opportunities for students.

“While test results are one data point, we also focus on the bigger picture that support our students’ growth and as a result, we are expecting to be named a Model Continuation High School through the California Department of Education in the next few days.”