Sultana High School: Full Guide

Location: Hesperia, CA

Are you a student or parent at Sultana High School? Want to understand how to get the most out of high school?

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

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

Let's get started!

Basic Information

Sultana High School is a public school, supporting grades 9 to 12 . It's located in Hesperia, CA in San Bernardino County.

Based on its location, Sultana High is classified as a school in a large suburb. Here's the location on a map:

Contact Information

Mailing address:

Sultana High School
17311 Sultana Ave.
Hesperia, CA 92345-6567

Phone number: 7609476777

Sultana High School homepage: http://www.sultanahighschool.com/

Principal: Lawrence Bird
Email the principal: [email protected]

Student Demographics

Student Enrollment

The total enrollment at Sultana High School is 2066 students, making it a large high school, in the top 25% of all California high schools by size.

Attending Sultana High will feel like attending a small college. You'll have a few hundred students in your class, enough to provide an interesting set of activities, sports, and classes to try. But compared to the largest high schools in California, the student body size won't be overwhelming.

Growth in Student Body Size

Is Sultana High School growing or shrinking? This will help you see trends in where the school is headed.

From our calculations, the enrollment at Sultana High 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	292	255	547
10^th grade	275	277	552
11^th grade	271	260	531
12^th grade	213	223	436

As you can see in the table above, the freshman class is 111 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 Sultana High. Alternatively, Sultana High could be relaxing its student policies and taking in more students.

Gender Split

Are there more boys or girls at Sultana High School?

From our statistics, Sultana High has a 51:49 split between male and female students in the high school grades.

Sultana High has a balanced male-female ratio that's largely representative of the general population in San Bernardino 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 Sultana High 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 Sultana High School? Does one ethnicity make up most of the student body, or is it fairly balanced?

From our statistics, Sultana High 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 Sultana High 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 Sultana High 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 Sultana High fits within this category.

	Percentage	Number
American Indian/Alaska Native	0.6%	14
Asian	1.1%	24
Hispanic	55.1%	1140
Black	6.3%	132
White	34.4%	712
Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander	0.4%	9
Two or more races	1.6%	35

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 Sultana High Families

What are the family incomes of students at Sultana High 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 Sultana High, 10.4% of students qualify for reduced-price lunches, and 52.5% qualify for free lunches.

This means Sultana High has a below average level of poverty. With most students not qualifying for free or reduced price lunches, Sultana High 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	215	10.4%
Free lunches	1085	52.5%
Do not qualify for reduced-price or free lunches	766	37.0%

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

Sultana High 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. Sultana High 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 Sultana High 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 Sultana High 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 Sultana High: 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 Sultana High 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 2200 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
Shadow Ridge	0	0	128
Hesperia Community Day	0	0	26
Hesperia High	0	0	1963
Mojave High	0	0	267
Summit Leadership Academy-high Desert	0	0	193
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 Sultana High School? Will you be competitive for college? Will you have access to advanced classes?

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

Graduation Rate

To start off, an important benchmark of academic achievement is graduation rate. For all students who start high school at Sultana High, the state of California wants as many students to graduate as possible, since a high school diploma can mean a big difference in getting a job.

At Sultana High, 90% (of 496) Sultana High students graduated within four years of starting high school.

Here's how this stacks up to other schools. The California state government has defined 90% as a target rate. The state average is around 80-85%.

Sultana High is in the 69th percentile of all public high schools in California for graduation rate. This is above average. Generally, a graduation rate of above 90% is considered good and well above average, and below 75% is well below average.

Note: This data comes from a few years back, but the trends are likely to stay the same, since schools don't get significantly better or worse within a short period of time.

Standardized Testing

Next, we'll look at another major piece of high school academics: standardized testing performance for Sultana High School 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 Sultana High School SAT scores.

The average composite SAT score is a 1380 out of 2400, compared to a national average of 1500. Each year, roughly 226 at Sultana High take the SAT.

This is a below-average SAT score, putting Sultana High School in the bottom 50% of all California schools. Only 34% of students here score the national average or higher. Because the SAT measures academic achievement, this suggests that Sultana High may offer a somewhat lacking high school education, compared to schools with higher SAT averages.

Note, however, that an average is just an average - top performers will still be able to impress. If you work hard and get an SAT score well above Sultana High'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
Sultana High	467	467	450	1380
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 1380 as an SAT score? Find out with our complete 1380 SAT score guide, including which colleges you can get into with a 1380 or any other SAT score!

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ACT Scores

In California, the ACT is less popular than the SAT. Fewer students take the ACT, and typically these students are more motivated and academically prepared for college. Therefore, it's harder to compare Sultana High School ACT scores with the rest of the country.

At Sultana High, the average ACT composite score was 21, compared to the nationwide average of 20. Each year, roughly 45 out of 2066 total students take the ACT.

This is above average performance, putting Sultana High in the top 50% of California high schools. Since the ACT tests what you learn in school, these ACT scores are a good indication that you'll get an above-average education at Sultana High.

Here are the average English, Math, Reading, and Science scores for Sultana High compared to California and the US:

Average ACT Scores

Source	English	Math	Reading	Science
Sultana High	20	23	21	21
California	21.8	22.8	22.3	21.7
United States	20.3	20.9	21.3	20.8

Scores provided are for the 2013-14 school year.

Find out more about percentile rankings and the ACT in this article.

Every individual is different. What counts as a good ACT score for you? Learn more with this article!

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Advanced Placement (AP)

Advanced Placement (AP) classes are college-level courses that are an additional academic challenge may give Sultana High School 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 203 students in grades 9-12 at Sultana High take 410 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 Sultana High is 2.2 out of 5.

Unfortunately, this score puts Sultana High at below average performance. For AP tests, the passing score is considered a 3, and the majority of students who take AP tests at Sultana High don't pass. This performance places Sultana High School in the bottom 50% of schools for AP tests in California.

This isn't all bad news. It's already good that Sultana High offers an AP program, so you can start dipping your toes into college-level courses. Some schools are new to offering AP courses, and teachers often get better at preparing students for AP tests. Furthermore, a good number of students still earn a passing grade of 3 or above. With hard work throughout the year, you'll still be able to beat your school's average.

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:

AP Test-Taking Statistics

Another way to gauge the quality of a school's AP program is to see how many AP students actually took AP exams at Sultana High School. If a lot of students enroll in AP courses but don't actually take the AP tests, it can be a sign that students don't feel adequately prepared to take the test, or the school isn't encouraging students to take the exams enough.

At Sultana High, there is a total enrollment of 356 in AP courses (a student taking more than one AP course counts more than once).

Of AP-taking students, 67 took AP tests for ALL AP courses. 59 students took AP tests for SOME AP Courses, and 202 took AP courses but took NO tests.

This is bad test participation. Most AP students at Sultana High School take the AP exam for NONE of their AP courses. This is an unusual situation, as the goal of an AP course is typically to take the standardized national AP test.

What you want to figure out is why so many students take AP courses but end up not taking the course. Do they not feel comfortable enough taking the AP test, knowing they may not pass? Or is it hard for Sultana High students to take AP courses? Good people to ask are your counselors and AP teachers.

Hopefully, you may find that there are just logistical issues with taking AP tests that you might be able to overcome. However, you may also learn that the AP courses at Sultana High don't prepare students well enough for the test, which reflects poorly on the AP program at your school. If the AP resources available to you don't give you confidence, consider self-studying to prepare for the AP test.

Note: The most recent data we have available is from 2012, so the statistics may have changed since then. Most likely, however, the trends are likely to continue - above average schools are likely to stay above average, and below average schools are likely to stay below average.

AP Passing Rates

For AP students at Sultana High School who take the exam, it's important to know how they do. Here we have specific data on how many students got a passing grade (a 3 or above) on all, some, or none of the AP exams that they took.

Of all AP test takers, 32 students passed every AP test they took, which is a fantastic job. 25 students passed some but not all AP exams, and 60 students didn't pass ANY AP exam they took.

Unfortunately, this is poor performance compared to other high schools. At Sultana High School, the majority of AP students fail ALL of the AP exams they take. This usually means that they're not adequately prepared for the national AP exam at the end of the year.

This isn't necessarily the school's fault. AP courses may be too advanced for the typical student at Sultana High, and it's still a good thing that AP courses are offered at all. Furthermore, it's possible that a majority of the AP exams taken by students at Sultana High are on the more difficult side.

However, if you're a student at Sultana High, this is a warning that you'll have to go above and beyond the typical student to pass your AP exams. This may entail self-studying, figuring out who the better AP teachers are and trying to get into their classes, and working hard.

To find out the passing rates for specific AP courses at Sultana High School, 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 Sultana High School 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 Sultana High 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 Sultana High.

English/Language Arts

At Sultana High School, 55% of students meet or exceed state standards in English/Language Arts.

This is considered above average and puts Sultana High in the top 50% of all high schools in California for English/Language Arts. Around half of Sultana High 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 Sultana High will likely rise over time. But it still reflects Sultana High'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 Sultana High School, 27% of students meet or exceed state standards in Math. This is considered well below average and puts Sultana High in the bottom 25% of all high schools in California. The vast majority of Sultana High 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 Sultana High School 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 Sultana High. 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 Sultana High. Taking AP/IB classes also raises your weighted GPA and makes you a stronger college applicant.

Furthermore, many colleges will accept your Sultana High 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 Sultana High School offer?

AP Courses

Sultana High School offers AP courses in 18 subjects.

This is an impressive number of AP subjects, putting Sultana High School 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 Sultana High 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 Sultana High, 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 Sultana High likely means you'll be in good hands.

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

Course Title
Biology
Calculus AB
Chemistry
English Language and Composition
English Literature and Composition
Environmental Science
European History
French Language and Culture
Macroeconomics
Physics 1: Algebra-Based
Psychology
Spanish Language and Culture
Spanish Literature and Culture
Statistics
Studio Art: 2-D Design
Studio Art: Drawing
United States Government and Politics
United States History

Sports Teams

Finally, we'll cover which sports teams are available at Sultana High School. 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 Sultana High.

By the way, the Sultana High mascot is the Sultans. Go Sultans!

Sultana High School fields 14 teams for girls' sports. This is a sizable number that puts Sultana High in the top 50% of California schools that offer girls' sports. You won't get the full range of sports and levels, but you'll be able to try out for a few options. If you participate in a sport that Sultana High doesn't offer, consider looking for a local non-school team that you can join.

And now for the boys: Sultana High School fields 16 teams for boys' sports. This puts Sultana High in the top 50% of California schools that offer boys' sports. You won't get every sport and level possible here, but you'll have a decent number of options. If you participate in a sport that Sultana High doesn't offer, consider looking for a local non-school team that you can join.

Boys Teams	Girls Teams
Basketball Var JV Fr	Basketball Var JV Fr
Golf Var JV Fr
Tennis Var JV Fr	Tennis Var JV Fr
Football Var JV Fr
Wrestling Var JV Fr
Volleyball Var JV Fr	Volleyball Var JV Fr
Baseball Var JV Fr
	Softball Var JV Fr
Trackfield Var JV Fr	Trackfield Var JV Fr
Crosscountry Var JV Fr	Crosscountry Var JV Fr
Soccer Var JV Fr	Soccer Var JV Fr
	Fieldhockey 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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