Original Research by School Decision on Options for Youth - Duarte Inc District
Options For Youth - Duarte Inc District is a small independent district serving grades 7 through 12 across Los Angeles County. The school operates as an alternative or continuation setting, distinct from a traditional comprehensive high school environment.
The district enrolls a student body that is largely Hispanic, with a substantial share of Black students and a smaller representation of Asian and white students. The enrollment is concentrated in the high school years, particularly grade 9, with very few students in grade 8 and no grade 7 students currently enrolled. This grade distribution suggests the school functions primarily as a high school serving entry-level and advanced secondary students.
State testing data and graduation rate information were not available for this district, which is typical for schools operating outside the traditional academic track. No data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility or special education and English learner enrollment were reported, making it difficult to characterize the full economic and academic support needs of the student population from the available sources.
Among Los Angeles County's districts, Options For Youth - Duarte Inc shows a very high chronic absenteeism rate, positioning it in the bottom quartile of the county's school systems on this metric. Chronic absenteeism typically signals barriers to consistent school engagement, whether related to transportation, work obligations, family circumstances, or other factors common in alternative school settings. A parent should look into the district's attendance support and engagement strategies to understand how it addresses this challenge. Per-pupil current spending is in the upper range compared to other county districts, indicating the district invests substantially in each student, though the specific allocation of those resources is not detailed in available data.
The district operates a single school, Options For Youth - Duarte Inc, which serves as the hub for its programming. Program offerings, course pathways, and detailed academic structure were not available. For a family considering this school, a direct conversation with the district about what drives the chronic absenteeism pattern, how the school supports students who have struggled in traditional settings, what daily structure and course options exist, and how the high per-pupil spending translates into student services would be essential to understanding whether this environment fits a student's needs and circumstances.
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