Original Research by School Decision on Contra Costa School of Performing Arts District
Contra Costa School of Performing Arts District no longer operates a school. The district's sole campus, Contra Costa School of Performing Arts in Walnut Creek, closed permanently in June 2025 after a span of operation as a free public charter school. The closure followed declining enrollment after the pandemic, with the board deciding in January 2025 that the 2024-25 school year would be final. Any family looking to enroll in this district should know that there is no active school to attend.
Before closure, the district served students in grades six through twelve. The enrollment was modest, under four hundred students, with a student body that was roughly balanced across grade six through eight, though high school grades nine through twelve had considerably smaller cohorts. The population was ethnically diverse, with about half of students identifying as Hispanic, a quarter as white, and smaller representations across Asian, Black, and multiracial backgrounds. Data on free-and-reduced-price lunch eligibility and English learner status were not available.
State testing results and graduation rate data for this district were not provided, so no assessment of academic proficiency or college completion pathways can be drawn from available sources. The district did report a chronic absenteeism rate that placed it above the midpoint among Contra Costa County's districts, indicating lower absenteeism relative to peers. Per-pupil spending fell in the middle to upper-middle range for the county.
In its final year, the school created an accelerated graduation pathway so that eleventh graders could earn diplomas early before closure. Of the junior cohort, a substantial majority completed this option. The remaining students were transitioned to other schools as the campus wound down.
For anyone researching this district now, the fact of closure is conclusive: enrollment is not possible. Families who had students there during the final year navigated transition to alternative schools in the county.
See more original research from School Decision →