Location: Waterford, CA
Are you a student or parent at Connecting Waters Charter School? Want to understand how to get the most out of high school?
We've written the best guide to Connecting Waters Charter available. Here we'll cover:
- Breakdowns of student ethnicity, gender, and family income
- How safe Connecting Waters Charter is to attend
- SAT/ACT/AP scores earned by Connecting Waters Charter students
- Which AP/IB classes you can take at Connecting Waters Charter
- Every sports team you can join at Connecting Waters Charter
Let's get started!
Basic Information
Connecting Waters Charter School is a public school, supporting grades 0 to 12 . It's located in Waterford, CA in Stanislaus County.
Based on its location, Connecting Waters Charter is classified as a school in a town fringe area, or more than 10 miles from an urbanized area. Here's the location on a map:
Contact Information
Mailing address:
Connecting Waters Charter School12420 Bentley St. Waterford, CA 95386-9150
Phone number: 2098749463
Connecting Waters Charter School homepage: http://www.connectingwaters.org/
Principal: Sherri NelsonEmail the principal: [email protected]
Student Demographics
Student Enrollment
The total enrollment at Connecting Waters Charter School is 2213 students, making it a very large high school, in the top 10% of all California high schools by size.
Wow! Attending Connecting Waters Charter might feel like attending a college. You'll be surrounded by a large group of students (over 500 per class) and have more options for activities and clubs to join, which can be exciting.
On the other hand, you may also find that resources like counseling are spread thin across so many students. Make sure that you can get enough teacher and counselor attention to succeed at Connecting Waters Charter, which may require being proactive.
Growth in Student Body Size
Is Connecting Waters Charter School growing or shrinking? This will help you see trends in where the school is headed.
From our calculations, the enrollment at Connecting Waters Charter has 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 | 80 | 73 | 153 |
| 10th grade | 60 | 89 | 149 |
| 11th grade | 83 | 108 | 191 |
| 12th grade | 71 | 130 | 201 |
As you can see in the table above, the senior class is 48 students larger than the freshman class. This suggests that Connecting Waters Charter is shrinking in size and taking on fewer students.
There are a few reasons this can happen. The population of Waterford could be decreasing, thus sending fewer students into Connecting Waters Charter. Alternatively, other schools (like charter or private schools) might be appearing, drawing students away.
Gender Split
Are there more boys or girls at Connecting Waters Charter School?
From our statistics, Connecting Waters Charter has a 43:57 split between male and female students in the high school grades.
There is a large female majority at Connecting Waters Charter, and the imbalance is greater than you would expect from the general population in Stanislaus 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 Connecting Waters Charter. In other cases, the school might preferentially select for females (if it has its own admissions criteria), or parents with female kids might prefer to send them to Connecting Waters Charter. In yet other cases, other neighboring schools might attract male students, drawing them away from Connecting Waters Charter.
If this gender imbalance is a concern for you, we suggest contacting Connecting Waters Charter administration and asking if they have any thoughts about why there's a female majority. Their phone number is 2098749463.
Ethnicity Breakdown
What's the racial diversity at Connecting Waters Charter School? Does one ethnicity make up most of the student body, or is it fairly balanced?
From our statistics, Connecting Waters Charter 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 Connecting Waters Charter 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 Connecting Waters Charter 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 Connecting Waters Charter is one of hundreds of schools in the state that have a majority of white students.
| Percentage | Number | |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.9% | 22 |
| Asian | 7.5% | 166 |
| Hispanic | 25.3% | 560 |
| Black | 2.9% | 65 |
| White | 51.9% | 1149 |
| Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander | 0.2% | 6 |
| Two or more races | 11.0% | 245 |
High schools usually reflect the population in the surrounding area, so the ethnicities of students likely resembles those of Waterford. 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 Connecting Waters Charter Families
What are the family incomes of students at Connecting Waters Charter 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 Connecting Waters Charter, 16.1% of students qualify for reduced-price lunches, and 30.5% qualify for free lunches.
This means Connecting Waters Charter has a below average level of poverty. With most students not qualifying for free or reduced price lunches, Connecting Waters Charter is below average among California schools in poverty level. The income level of families in Waterford is thus likely to be relatively high.
| Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| Reduced-price lunches | 357 | 16.1% |
| Free lunches | 675 | 30.5% |
| Do not qualify for reduced-price or free lunches | 1181 | 53.3% |
As with ethnicity, this likely reflects the surrounding community in Waterford and doesn't speak much about the school itself.
Connecting Waters Charter 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. Connecting Waters Charter 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 Connecting Waters Charter 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 Connecting Waters Charter 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 Connecting Waters Charter: 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 Connecting Waters Charter 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 2065 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:
Waterford Unified School District Safety
| School Name | Total Referred | Total Arrests | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waterford High | 0 | 0 | 608 |
| Sentinel High | 0 | 0 | 22 |
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 Connecting Waters Charter School? Will you be competitive for college? Will you have access to advanced classes?
We've compiled everything we could find about Connecting Waters Charter'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 Connecting Waters Charter, 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 Connecting Waters Charter, 79% (of 222) Connecting Waters Charter 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%.
Connecting Waters Charter is in the 42nd percentile of all public high schools in California for graduation rate. This is below 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 Connecting Waters Charter 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 Connecting Waters Charter School SAT scores.
The average composite SAT score is a 1670 out of 2400, compared to a national average of 1500. Each year, roughly 33 at Connecting Waters Charter take the SAT.
This is a very high average SAT score, putting Connecting Waters Charter School in the top 10% of all California high schools. The average student at Connecting Waters Charter is already scoring in the 75th percentile nationwide or higher - in fact, 73% of students score above the national average. The top students will likely be competing in the top tier nationwide.
Because the SAT measures academic ability, this is a good sign that you're surrounded by high-achieving peers. If you can keep up with your classmates at Connecting Waters Charter - or even exceed them - you'll have a great shot at getting into very competitive colleges.
Keep in mind, however, that only 4% of all students at Connecting Waters Charter took the SAT, so the results could be skewed by the small sample size.
Here's a breakdown of SAT scores by section:
Average SAT Scores (2013-2014)
| Source | Critical Reading | Math | Writing | Composite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecting Waters Charter | 577 | 548 | 552 | 1670 |
| 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 1670 as an SAT score? Find out with our complete 1670 SAT score guide, including which colleges you can get into with a 1670 or any other SAT score!
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.
State Tests
As of 2014, eleventh graders attending Connecting Waters Charter 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 Connecting Waters Charter 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 Connecting Waters Charter.
English/Language Arts
At Connecting Waters Charter School, 55% of students meet or exceed state standards in English/Language Arts.
This is considered above average and puts Connecting Waters Charter in the top 50% of all high schools in California for English/Language Arts. Around half of Connecting Waters Charter 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 Connecting Waters Charter will likely rise over time. But it still reflects Connecting Waters Charter'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 Connecting Waters Charter School, 20% of students meet or exceed state standards in Math. This is considered well below average and puts Connecting Waters Charter in the bottom 25% of all high schools in California. The vast majority of Connecting Waters Charter 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 Connecting Waters Charter 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 Connecting Waters Charter. 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 Connecting Waters Charter. Taking AP/IB classes also raises your weighted GPA and makes you a stronger college applicant.
Furthermore, many colleges will accept your Connecting Waters Charter 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 Connecting Waters Charter School offer?
AP Courses
Connecting Waters Charter School offers AP courses in 2 subjects.
This is a low number of AP subjects, putting Connecting Waters Charter School 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 Connecting Waters Charter.
Take a look at every AP subject offered. If you want to take any AP courses not being offered at Connecting Waters Charter, 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 Connecting Waters Charter 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 Connecting Waters Charter during 2015-2016:
| Course Title |
|---|
| English Language and Composition |
| English Literature and Composition |
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