Location: Sutter Creek, CA
Are you a student or parent at North Star Independent Study School? Want to understand how to get the most out of high school?
We've written the best guide to North Star Independent Study School available. Here we'll cover:
- Breakdowns of student ethnicity, gender, and family income
- How safe North Star Independent Study School is to attend
- SAT/ACT/AP scores earned by North Star Independent Study School students
- Which AP/IB classes you can take at North Star Independent Study School
- Every sports team you can join at North Star Independent Study School
Let's get started!
Basic Information
North Star Independent Study School is a public school, supporting grades 0 to 12 . It's located in Sutter Creek, CA in Amador County.
Based on its location, North Star Independent Study School 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:
North Star Independent Study School217 Rex Ave. Jackson, CA 95642
Phone number: 2092575150
North Star Independent Study School homepage: http://www.amadorcoe.org/
Principal: Frank (Butch) WagnerEmail the principal: [email protected]
Student Demographics
Student Enrollment
The total enrollment at North Star Independent Study School is 78 students, making it a small high school, in the bottom 25% of all California high schools by size.
With at most a few dozen students in your class, you'll get to know most other North Star Independent Study School students well. But the small student body size may mean that you won't get access to the full range of activities and classes that other high schools offer.
If you find that your interests aren't well served by North Star Independent Study School, consider transferring to a larger high school if possible, or find ways to supplement your interests in your community or on the Internet.
Growth in Student Body Size
Is North Star Independent Study School growing or shrinking? This will help you see trends in where the school is headed.
From our calculations, the enrollment at North Star Independent Study School has steadily decreased over the past few years. We calculate this by comparing enrollment in grades 9 to 12.
| Male Students | Female Students | All Students | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9th grade | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 10th grade | 5 | 9 | 14 |
| 11th grade | 10 | 5 | 15 |
| 12th grade | 14 | 20 | 34 |
As you can see in the table above, the senior class is 32 students larger than the freshman class. This suggests that North Star Independent Study School is shrinking in size and taking on fewer students.
There are a few reasons this can happen. The population of Sutter Creek could be decreasing, thus sending fewer students into North Star Independent Study School. Alternatively, other schools (like charter or private schools) might be appearing, drawing students away.
Gender Split
Are there more boys or girls at North Star Independent Study School?
From our statistics, North Star Independent Study School has a 48:52 split between male and female students in the high school grades.
North Star Independent Study School has a balanced male-female ratio that's largely representative of the general population in Amador 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 North Star Independent Study School 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 North Star Independent Study School? Does one ethnicity make up most of the student body, or is it fairly balanced?
From our statistics, North Star Independent Study School has a homogenous student body, with the overwhelming majority of students identifying as one ethnicity. Only a third of California schools show as little diversity as North Star Independent Study School does. When attending class, most students will be of the same ethnicity, with some variation.
The majority of students at North Star Independent Study School are white. In California, white students make up 26.3% of all California students, and are the second most common ethnicity after Hispanic students. Thus North Star Independent Study School is one of hundreds of schools in the state that have a majority of white students.
| Percentage | Number | |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 6.4% | 5 |
| Asian | 1.2% | 1 |
| Hispanic | 14.1% | 11 |
| Black | 0.0% | 0 |
| White | 74.3% | 58 |
| Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0 |
| Two or more races | 3.8% | 3 |
High schools usually reflect the population in the surrounding area, so the ethnicities of students likely resembles those of Sutter Creek. 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 North Star Independent Study School Families
What are the family incomes of students at North Star Independent Study School? 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 North Star Independent Study School, 2.5% of students qualify for reduced-price lunches, and 38.4% qualify for free lunches.
This means North Star Independent Study School has a below average level of poverty. With most students not qualifying for free or reduced price lunches, North Star Independent Study School is below average among California schools in poverty level. The income level of families in Sutter Creek is thus likely to be relatively high.
| Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| Reduced-price lunches | 2 | 2.5% |
| Free lunches | 30 | 38.4% |
| Do not qualify for reduced-price or free lunches | 46 | 58.9% |
As with ethnicity, this likely reflects the surrounding community in Sutter Creek and doesn't speak much about the school itself.
North Star Independent Study School 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. North Star Independent Study School 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 North Star Independent Study School 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 North Star Independent Study School 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 North Star Independent Study School: 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 North Star Independent Study School 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 82 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:
Amador County Unified School District Safety
| School Name | Total Referred | Total Arrests | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Independence High (continuation) | 0 | 0 | 53 |
| Amador High | 0 | 0 | 592 |
| Argonaut High | 0 | 0 | 593 |
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
- IBO.org