Location: Visalia, CA
Are you a student or parent at Central California Connections Academy? Want to understand how to get the most out of high school?
We've written the best guide to Central California Connections Academy available. Here we'll cover:
- Breakdowns of student ethnicity, gender, and family income
- How safe Central California Connections Academy is to attend
- SAT/ACT/AP scores earned by Central California Connections Academy students
- Which AP/IB classes you can take at Central California Connections Academy
- Every sports team you can join at Central California Connections Academy
Let's get started!
Basic Information
Central California Connections Academy is a public school, supporting grades 0 to 12 . It's located in Visalia, CA in Tulare County.
Based on its location, Central California Connections Academy is classified as a school in a midsized city. Here's the location on a map:
Contact Information
Mailing address:
Central California Connections Academy4020 S. Demaree St., Ste. B Visalia, CA 93277-4716
Phone number: 5597131324
Central California Connections Academy homepage: http://www.connectionsacademy.com/california-online-school/about/central
Principal: Richard SavageEmail the principal: [email protected]
Student Demographics
Student Enrollment
The total enrollment at Central California Connections Academy is 313 students, making it a somewhat large high school, in the top half of all California high schools by size.
As a mid-sized high school, Central California Connections Academy strikes the balance between size and comfort. There will be enough students to provide a diversity of experiences, like clubs and sports, for you to join. But it'll be small enough that you'll likely get to know most people in your class.
Growth in Student Body Size
Is Central California Connections Academy growing or shrinking? This will help you see trends in where the school is headed.
From our calculations, the enrollment at Central California Connections Academy has steadily increased over the past few years. We calculate this by comparing enrollment in grades 9 to 12.
| Male Students | Female Students | All Students | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9th grade | 29 | 29 | 58 |
| 10th grade | 12 | 25 | 37 |
| 11th grade | 15 | 12 | 27 |
| 12th grade | 6 | 12 | 18 |
As you can see in the table above, the freshman class is 40 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 Visalia could be growing in population, thus sending more students into Central California Connections Academy. Alternatively, Central California Connections Academy could be relaxing its student policies and taking in more students.
Gender Split
Are there more boys or girls at Central California Connections Academy?
From our statistics, Central California Connections Academy has a 45:55 split between male and female students in the high school grades.
Central California Connections Academy has a balanced male-female ratio that's largely representative of the general population in Tulare County. Since the student body is roughly half and half, it should feel like there are equal numbers of boys and girls in your classes.
This usually means that Central California Connections Academy doesn't strongly select for either males or females, unlike other schools that have a large majority of males or females.
Ethnicity Breakdown
What's the racial diversity at Central California Connections Academy? Does one ethnicity make up most of the student body, or is it fairly balanced?
From our statistics, Central California Connections Academy has a diverse student body. No single ethnicity composes more than 50% of all students, which means you'll be surrounded by a diverse set of students in class. Only a third of California schools show this much diversity.
The most common ethnicity at Central California Connections Academy is white. In California, white students make up 26.3% of all California students, and are the second most common ethnicity after Hispanic students.
| Percentage | Number | |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 1.5% | 5 |
| Asian | 0.9% | 3 |
| Hispanic | 38.9% | 122 |
| Black | 3.8% | 12 |
| White | 46.0% | 144 |
| Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0 |
| Two or more races | 8.6% | 27 |
High schools usually reflect the population in the surrounding area, so the ethnicities of students likely resembles those of Visalia. 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 Central California Connections Academy Families
What are the family incomes of students at Central California Connections Academy? 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 Central California Connections Academy, 11.8% of students qualify for reduced-price lunches, and 40.8% qualify for free lunches.
This means Central California Connections Academy has a below average level of poverty. With most students not qualifying for free or reduced price lunches, Central California Connections Academy is below average among California schools in poverty level. The income level of families in Visalia is thus likely to be relatively high.
| Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| Reduced-price lunches | 37 | 11.8% |
| Free lunches | 128 | 40.8% |
| Do not qualify for reduced-price or free lunches | 148 | 47.2% |
As with ethnicity, this likely reflects the surrounding community in Visalia and doesn't speak much about the school itself.
Central California Connections Academy 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. Central California Connections Academy 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 Central California Connections Academy doesn't cover, look to your local community for activities, or to the Internet for self-study AP classes.
Download our free guide on the top 5 strategies you must be using to improve your score. This guide was written by Harvard graduates and SAT perfect scorers. If you apply the strategies in this guide, you'll study smarter and make huge score improvements.
School Safety
How safe is Central California Connections Academy 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 Central California Connections Academy: 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 Central California Connections Academy students at risk.
Compare this school with other high schools in the same school district, using the following table:
Alpaugh Unified School District Safety
| School Name | Total Referred | Total Arrests | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpaugh Junior-senior High | 10 | 2 | 128 |
| Tule Continuation High | 2 | 2 | 11 |
| Alpaugh Achievement Academy Charter | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 Central California Connections Academy? Will you be competitive for college? Will you have access to advanced classes?
We've compiled everything we could find about Central California Connections Academy's academics here.
Standardized Testing
Next, we'll look at another major piece of high school academics: standardized testing performance for Central California Connections Academy students. These are tests that are administered to large populations of students for comparison purposes.
State Tests
As of 2014, eleventh graders attending Central California Connections Academy 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 Central California Connections Academy 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 Central California Connections Academy.
English/Language Arts
At Central California Connections Academy, 63% of students meet or exceed state standards in English/Language Arts.
This is considered above average and puts Central California Connections Academy in the top 50% of all high schools in California for English/Language Arts. Around half of Central California Connections Academy students pass state standards, and around half do not.
This specific percentage isn't much cause for concern - because the standards have gotten harder with the Common Core, the pass rate at Central California Connections Academy will likely rise over time. But it still reflects Central California Connections Academy's roughly average ranking 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 Central California Connections Academy, 18% of students meet or exceed state standards in Math. This is considered well below average and puts Central California Connections Academy in the bottom 25% of all high schools in California. The vast majority of Central California Connections Academy 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 Central California Connections Academy 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 Central California Connections Academy. 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 Central California Connections Academy. Taking AP/IB classes also raises your weighted GPA and makes you a stronger college applicant.
Furthermore, many colleges will accept your Central California Connections Academy 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 Central California Connections Academy offer?
AP Courses
Central California Connections Academy offers AP courses in 16 subjects.
This is an impressive number of AP subjects, putting Central California Connections Academy in the top 25% of California schools in AP offerings. You'll likely have all of the most popular AP courses available to you, as well as some broader interests.
The total number of AP subjects is 38, so Central California Connections Academy is missing a good number of subjects, but these are likely the least popular subjects, like less popular foreign languages. If there are any AP courses you want to take that aren't being offered at Central California Connections Academy, ask your counselor for other options.
Of course, keep in mind that quality matters even more than quantity - it's important that your AP courses are taught well by engaging teachers. But the strong AP program at Central California Connections Academy likely means you'll be in good hands.
The following AP courses were offered at Central California Connections Academy during 2015-2016:
| Course Title |
|---|
| Art History |
| Biology |
| Calculus AB |
| Calculus BC |
| Computer Science A |
| English Language and Composition |
| English Literature and Composition |
| Environmental Science |
| Human Geography |
| Macroeconomics |
| Microeconomics |
| Psychology |
| Spanish Language and Culture |
| Statistics |
| United States Government and Politics |
| United States History |
Sports Teams
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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Sources
The data on this page is drawn from a variety of sources, including (but not limited to):
- National Center for Educational Statistics CCD 2013-2014
- "Free or reduced price lunch: A proxy for poverty?", NCES Blog
- CRDC 2011-2012 school year data
- California Department of Education SAT, ACT, and AP Test Results
- California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System Results
- IBO.org