Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert: Full Guide

Location: Hesperia, CA

Are you a student or parent at Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert? Want to understand how to get the most out of high school?

We've written the best guide to SLAHD available. Here we'll cover:

Breakdowns of student ethnicity, gender, and family income
How safe SLAHD is to attend
SAT/ACT/AP scores earned by SLAHD students
Which AP/IB classes you can take at SLAHD
Every sports team you can join at SLAHD

Let's get started!

Basic Information

Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert is a public school, supporting grades 9 to 12 . It's located in Hesperia, CA in San Bernardino County.

Based on its location, SLAHD is classified as a school in a rural fringe area, near an urbanized area. Here's the location on a map:

Contact Information

Mailing address:

Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert
12850 Muscatel St.
Hesperia, CA 92345

Phone number: 7609499202

Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert homepage: http://www.slahd.com/

Principal: Shannon Brandner
Email the principal: [email protected]

Student Demographics

Student Enrollment

The total enrollment at Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert is 216 students, making it a somewhat small high school, in the bottom half of all California high schools by size.

As a smaller-sized high school, SLAHD will feel like a cozy learning environment. With fewer than 100 students in your class, you'll likely get to know most other students and your teachers well. This will give you the feeling of a small liberal arts college.

But with a smaller student body, you won't have as many activities and clubs to choose from. If you find SLAHD lacking for your interests, consider looking to your local community to supplement your interests.

Growth in Student Body Size

Is Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert growing or shrinking? This will help you see trends in where the school is headed.

From our calculations, the enrollment at SLAHD has increased over the past few years. We calculate this by comparing enrollment in grades 9 to 12.

	Male Students	Female Students	All Students
9^th grade	42	20	62
10^th grade	41	16	57
11^th grade	38	23	61
12^th grade	29	7	36

As you can see in the table above, the freshman class is 26 students larger than the senior class. This suggests that the school is growing in size and taking on more students.

There are a few reasons this could be happening. The city of Hesperia could be growing in population, thus sending more students into SLAHD. Alternatively, SLAHD could be relaxing its student policies and taking in more students.

Gender Split

Are there more boys or girls at Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert?

From our statistics, SLAHD has a 70:30 split between male and female students in the high school grades.

There is a large male majority at SLAHD, and much more than you would expect from the general population in San Bernardino County. As a result, it'll feel like there are a lot more girls than boys in your classes.

Sometimes this imbalance can result from random chance and may not suggest anything about SLAHD. In other cases, the school might preferentially select for males. For example, in our data we find that continuation high schools unfortunately seem to be male-dominated. In yet other cases, other neighboring schools might attract female students, drawing them away from SLAHD.

If the male majority is concerning to you, we suggest contacting SLAHD administration and asking if they have any thoughts about why there's a gender imbalance. Their phone number is 7609499202.

Ethnicity Breakdown

What's the racial diversity at Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert? Does one ethnicity make up most of the student body, or is it fairly balanced?

From our statistics, SLAHD has a somewhat homogenous student body, with the majority of students identifying as one ethnicity, but not representing over 70% of the student body. Most schools in California fit this profile, so SLAHD isn't out of the ordinary. Most students attending class with you will be of the predominant ethnicity, but there will be meaningful diversity from other races.

The majority of students at SLAHD are Hispanic. In California, Hispanic students make up the majority of all students at 51.5%, and are thus the most common ethnicity. Predominantly Hispanic schools are the most common type of homogenous school, and SLAHD fits within this category.

	Percentage	Number
American Indian/Alaska Native	0.4%	1
Asian	0.9%	2
Hispanic	57.8%	125
Black	12.0%	26
White	25.4%	55
Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander	0.0%	0
Two or more races	3.2%	7

High schools usually reflect the population in the surrounding area, so the ethnicities of students likely resembles those of Hesperia. If you'd like to see how other nearby schools look in diversity, just google "[name of school] prepscholar" to find our guide to that specific school.

Income Level of SLAHD Families

What are the family incomes of students at Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert? To determine this, we look at the number of students who qualify for free or reduced lunches, a classification by the US federal government.

To qualify for a reduced price meal, family income needs to be below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $45,000 or below.

To qualify for a free meal, family income needs to be below 130% of the federal poverty guidelines. For a family of 4, this means an income of around $32,000 or below.

The lower the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced price meals, the higher the income levels are likely to be.

At SLAHD, 9.7% of students qualify for reduced-price lunches, and 37.5% qualify for free lunches.

This means SLAHD has a below average level of poverty. With most students not qualifying for free or reduced price lunches, SLAHD is below average among California schools in poverty level. The income level of families in Hesperia is thus likely to be relatively high.

	Number	Percent
Reduced-price lunches	21	9.7%
Free lunches	81	37.5%
Do not qualify for reduced-price or free lunches	114	52.7%

As with ethnicity, this likely reflects the surrounding community in Hesperia and doesn't speak much about the school itself.

SLAHD is in the middle 50% of schools by income level. Generally, higher income level schools are better-funded and have a higher quality range of classes and activities. SLAHD is likely in the middle of the pack in this regard and will give you a good set of options to try.

If you have any interests that SLAHD doesn't cover, look to your local community for activities, or to the Internet for self-study AP classes.

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School Safety

How safe is Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert to attend? Can you expect a lot of conflict as a student here?

To study this, we look at disciplinary data for two types of incidents at SLAHD: referrals to law enforcement (when incidents are reported to police), and arrests.

These are the most serious disciplinary actions available to school administration and are more severe than suspensions or expulsions. Suspensions are often discretionary and can be given just for being disruptive in class. In contrast, law enforcement referrals and arrests often indicate incidents that put the safety of other SLAHD students at risk.

In the school year of 2011-2012, there were 0 referrals to law enforcement, and 0 school-related arrests. This is out of a total enrollment of 193 students.

To put this into perspective, most California schools (59% of them) reported 0 law enforcement referrals and arrests.

Compare this school with other high schools in the same school district, using the following table:

Hesperia Unified School District Safety

School Name	Total Referred	Total Arrests	Enrollment
Sultana High	0	0	2200
Shadow Ridge	0	0	128
Hesperia Community Day	0	0	26
Hesperia High	0	0	1963
Mojave High	0	0	267
Mirus Secondary	0	0	226

Academic Performance

Now we get to a major aspect of assessing a high school: academic performance. How good of an education will you get at Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert? Will you be competitive for college? Will you have access to advanced classes?

We've compiled everything we could find about SLAHD's academics here.

Standardized Testing

Next, we'll look at another major piece of high school academics: standardized testing performance for Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert students. These are tests that are administered to large populations of students for comparison purposes.

Let’s start by taking a look at the data for nationally administered standardized tests.

SAT Scores

As you probably know, the SAT is a critical test used for college admissions. The higher the score you get, the better your academic performance compared to students nationwide, and the easier it is to get into top colleges.

We did in-depth research and found the average Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert SAT scores.

The average composite SAT score is a 1150 out of 2400, compared to a national average of 1500. Each year, roughly 32 at SLAHD take the SAT.

This is a very low SAT score, putting SLAHD in the bottom 25% of all California schools, and well below the national average. Only 0% of SAT takers here score above the national average. Unfortunately, this suggests that most students attending SLAHD are not high-achieving, and may find it difficult to be admitted to a good college.

Note, however, that an average is just an average - you still have the potential to rise above expectations. If you work hard and earn an SAT score well above SLAHD's average, you'll have a great shot at entering a good college.

Here's a breakdown of SAT scores by section:

Average SAT Scores (2013-2014)

Source	Critical Reading	Math	Writing	Composite
SLAHD	389	381	386	1150
California	498	510	496	1504
United States	495	511	484	1490

Note that the SAT has since changed to a 1600 scale, but the trends above for your high school are likely to continue. Just use this guide to convert between the old 2400 scale and the new 1600 scale.

To learn more about SAT percentile rankings, read our guide on what SAT percentiles really mean.

How good is 1150 as an SAT score? Find out with our complete 1150 SAT score guide, including which colleges you can get into with a 1150 or any other SAT score!

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Advanced Placement (AP)

Advanced Placement (AP) classes are college-level courses that are an additional academic challenge may give Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert students credit for college.

Here's what we're looking for: high average AP test scores as well as high AP passing rates.

AP Scores

Every year, roughly 1 students in grades 9-12 at SLAHD take 0 AP exams. It's important to understand how students score on the AP - earning a 3, 4, or 5 on the AP test means passing the test and often earning college credit.

The average score of all AP exams taken at SLAHD is out of 5.

Compared to schools across California, this score puts SLAHD at below average performance. On AP tests, the passing score is considered a 3, and unfortunately the number of students who don't pass is greater than the number of do. This performance places Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert in the bottom 25 % of schools for AP tests.

This isn't all bad news for you, though. It's still good that SLAHD offers AP classes so you have the opportunity to take courses at a college level. Your school might be new to offering AP courses, and typically teachers get better at preparing students for AP tests over time. Finally, as you'll see below, there are still students who earn a passing grade of 3 or above - and with hard work, you can be one of them.

We have specific data on how many students got a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 (out of 5) on AP exams in the chart below:

To find out the passing rates for specific AP courses at Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert, you'll have to talk to your guidance counselor (who can then help you find that information). For instance, one AP Calculus teacher may have an above-90% passing rate, while another might only have a 50% passing rate. If you can, you'll want to take the class with the teacher who has more students get a 3 or above on the AP exam.

Find out more about the average score for each AP subject here.

State Tests

As of 2014, eleventh graders attending Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert must take standardized tests in English/Language Arts and Math as part of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). These align with the new Common Core standards and are called the "Smarter Balanced" tests.

If SLAHD students meet or exceed state standards, they're academically prepared to graduate high school and go to college. Specifically, we care about the percentage of students who meet or exceed state standards. The larger this number, the higher the preparation of students at SLAHD.

English/Language Arts

At Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert, 16% of students meet or exceed state standards in English/Language Arts.

This is considered well below average and puts SLAHD in the bottom 25% of all high schools in California for English/Language Arts. The vast majority of SLAHD students don't meet state standards, and only a small percentage pass.

This low percentage itself isn't much cause for concern - as teachers and students get more familiar with the new Common Core, the pass rate at SLAHD will likely increase. But it still reflects SLAHD's low standing among California high schools.

English/Language Arts Test Results (2015)

Read more about what’s measured in each ELA area score here.

Math

The other major test taken for state assessments is Math. Across the state, Math performance is generally lower than English/Language Arts performance, so it's natural for this number to be lower.

At Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert, 5% of students meet or exceed state standards in Math. This is considered well below average and puts SLAHD in the bottom 25% of all high schools in California. The vast majority of SLAHD students don't meet state standards, and only a small percentage pass.

Math Test Results (2015)

Read more about what’s measured in each Math area score, go here.

Academic Offerings

In addition to the standard high school curriculum, many high schools like Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert offer advanced coursework as part of the Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) programs.

Brief Intro to AP/IB

AP and IB courses are designed at the difficulty level of college introductory classes. There are several important benefits to taking advanced coursework at SLAHD. First, taking more advanced classes shows colleges that you're committed to challenging yourself academically, and that you're one of the more advanced students at SLAHD. Taking AP/IB classes also raises your weighted GPA and makes you a stronger college applicant.

Furthermore, many colleges will accept your SLAHD AP/IB coursework as college coursework. In some cases, you'll be able to skip introductory-level classes and move to more advanced classes. In other cases, you'll be able to avoid having to take required courses and might even be able to graduate earlier than the standard 4 years. Often this will require you to pass the AP test, getting a score of 3 or above.

So what advanced courses does Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert offer?

AP Courses

Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert offers AP courses in 1 subject.

This is a low number of AP subjects, putting Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert in the bottom 25% of California schools offering AP courses. You'll be very limited in your ability to explore your interests in math, science, humanities, or social sciences at SLAHD.

Take a look at every AP subject offered. If you want to take any AP courses not being offered at SLAHD, ask your counselor for ideas on how to cover the gap. If you're a strong student and not feeling adequately challenged, you might consider transferring to another high school to access a more advanced curriculum.

Of course, keep in mind that even though SLAHD doesn't offer many AP courses, it might teach the few it does offer quite well. You can see student performance in the AP score analysis section above.

The following AP courses were offered at SLAHD during 2015-2016:

Course Title
Chemistry

Sports Teams

Finally, we'll cover which sports teams are available at Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert. Sports are an integral part of many students' high school experiences. The more sports that are available, and the more levels supported (Frosh, JV, Varsity), the more likely you'll be able to participate in a sport at SLAHD.

Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert fields 7 teams for girls' sports. This is a low number that puts SLAHD in the bottom 25% of California schools that offer girls' sports. This is understandable - sports teams are expensive to support, and many schools would rather support other programs with their limited resources. If you play a sport that SLAHD doesn't field a team for, consider joining a local non-school team to get practice and compete.

And now for the boys: Summit Leadership Academy-High Desert fields 4 teams for boys' sports. This low number puts SLAHD in the bottom 25% of California schools that offer boys' sports. If you play a sport that SLAHD doesn't field a team for, consider joining a local non-school team to get practice and compete.

Boys Teams	Girls Teams
Basketball Var JV Fr	Basketball Var JV Fr
	Tennis Var JV Fr
	Fieldhockey Var JV Fr
	Volleyball Var JV Fr
Baseball Var JV Fr
	Softball Var JV Fr
Trackfield Var JV Fr	Trackfield Var JV Fr
Soccer Var JV Fr	Soccer Var JV Fr

What’s Next?

Want to get more useful information about high school classes and preparing for colleges? Our blog has a ton of articles and advice on topics ranging from coursework and GPA to letters of recommendation, extracurriculars, and much more!

Ready to bulk up your schedule and maximize your college preparedness? Read all about the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs.

Not quite in high school yet, but eager to get started? We've also got information for younger students interested in advanced learning opportunities, both in and out of school.

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