In high school it can be easy to see trouble coming. A student is persistently absent, or starts getting in trouble, or has plummeting grades.

Maybe a health crisis takes center stage, or pregnancy, or lost housing, or a family emergency. When a student is on a path to dropping out, it makes little sense to pretend otherwise.

What are Continuation Schools?

Continuation schools (also known as alternative schools) are flexible public high schools designed to serve the educational needs of high school students who are not in a position to succeed on the normal path. These schools serve under-credited students in danger of not graduating, working students who need flexible hours, students with children, and more. Students in continuation schools are required to attend for at least 15 hours a week.

In 2022 there were 432 Continuation Schools in California according to the state Department of Education. Some high schools host a continuation track in addition to their normal program.

In a review of California's alternative education options, Stanford professor Jorge Ruiz de Velasco points out that students tend to pass through continuation schools, "either on their way to a diploma or to dropping out of school altogether". He led a study of continuation high schools that described concerns about these schools and made recommendations for improving them:

Students who are pregnant or parenting are often counseled toward continuation schools, but it's not always the right fit. Many continuation schools don't offer the college-prep courses that students must take to qualify for access to a four-year university. Pregnant and parenting students on the college track may prefer to take up to eight weeks of parental leave instead, a right created for them in 2018.

Measuring the success of continuation schools

Alternative schools serve students that aren't on the normal path. Does it make sense to hold these schools accountable for the same outcomes as "regular" schools? To measure success more appropriately, the state exempts continuation schools from the normal expectations on the California School Dashboard, described in Ed100 Lesson 9.7. Instead, alternative schools are assessed using Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS).

Continuation schools are located all over the state, so there is probably one that serves your area. California state school officials estimate that about one student out of ten passes through these schools each year. Data about these schools tend to be imprecise because they serve students with needs that can change quickly and can cause them to move. The pandemic made it even more difficult than usual to keep track of students and maintain investment in continuation schools.

Schools for kids in REAL trouble

The law requires that young people receive educational services regardless of their behavior. For many years, students who were expelled for violating the law or charged with doing so were placed in detention facilities managed by the California Youth Authority (CYA).

In 2021, responsibility for incarcerated students was transferred from the state to counties in order to keep incarcerated students closer to their families. The CYA was closed and in 2023 the last of its remaining responsibilities were transferred to the state Division of Juvenile Justice.

This lesson was updated in March, 2024