Keith Mccarthy Academy, Lake Elsinore CA

Original Research by School Decision on Keith Mccarthy Academy

Keith McCarthy Academy is an alternative school serving kindergarten through grade twelve in Lake Elsinore, a fast-growing residential city in Riverside County centered around the county's largest natural freshwater lake. The school enrolls a modest population for its grade span, with enrollment concentrated in the high school grades, particularly grades eleven and twelve. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller shares of white, Black, and Asian students.

As an alternative school, Keith McCarthy Academy sits outside the conventional K-12 pipeline and serves a student population that typically includes those seeking a non-traditional educational pathway, students who have struggled in mainstream settings, or young people pursuing specific academic or career-focused tracks. The school's design reflects this mission: it enrolls few students in the early grades, peaks in the high school band, and appears designed to serve older students pursuing completion or alternative credential pathways. No data on graduation rate, special education services, English learner services, or disciplinary outcomes was available, which is common for alternative schools and reflects their distinct operational profile.

Academic performance on state assessments is weak across subjects and grades. In English language arts, proficiency ranges from low single digits in some grades to about half of one grade level reaching proficiency in grade five. In mathematics, proficiency is far lower, with most grades showing single-digit or near-zero proficiency rates. Science testing, available for grades five and eight, shows proficiency well below what state assessments typically document at mainstream schools. Taken together, these results position the school in the bottom quartile of Riverside County districts on an overall proficiency measure. A parent may want to look into further with the school what academic supports and interventions are in place, whether the school's alternative model prioritizes credential completion or recovery over high proficiency scores, and what pathways the school offers for students seeking to earn a diploma or adult education credential.

Lake Elsinore itself is experiencing steep growth, with several large master-planned residential communities under development (Alberhill Lake Elsinore, Alberhill Villages, and others) driving new family housing. The historic downtown, centered on a walkable five-block Main Street lined with century-old brick storefronts and recent pedestrian improvements, contrasts with newer hillside neighborhoods and freeway-oriented commercial corridors. Recreation, especially lake-based activities, anchors community identity. Housing values in the area are moderate for Southern California, and rents are accessible but rising. The city's employment base spans retail, hospitality, health care, and construction, with significant I-15 corridor commerce and outlet retail.

Lake Elsinore Unified School District, the school's parent district, recently won voter approval of a substantial school bond measure in November 2024, which will fund classroom repairs, science lab upgrades, security system improvements, asbestos and lead pipe removal, and space for early childhood programs. The bond raises property taxes while outstanding, affecting household budgets, and represents a multi-decade commitment to infrastructure. For families considering Keith McCarthy Academy, this bond signals district investment in facility improvements, though the tax implication is real for homeowners.

Keith McCarthy Academy's role is to serve students whose needs or circumstances do not fit the traditional school model. The academic performance data shows the school faces substantial challenges in raising proficiency, and prospective families should discuss directly with school leadership what support systems exist, what the school's completion and credential goals are, and whether the school's alternative structure aligns with a student's needs.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

60-64%Cohort of 99 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

2,394 schools plotted. 142 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 323%

School 23% · District 39% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 47%

School 7% · District 31% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 513%

School 13% · District 22% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 610%

School 10% · District 22% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 70%

School 0% · District 21% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 85%

School 5% · District 19% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 331%

School 31% · District 39% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 38% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 41% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 626%

School 26% · District 36% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 711%

School 11% · District 36% · ▼ 25 pts below district

▼ 34 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Grade 821%

School 21% · District 37% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Science

Grade 57%

School 7% · District 24% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 85%

School 5% · District 23% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

This schoolLake Elsinore Unified, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income15%Higher-income46%31 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income18%Higher-income25%7 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income5%Higher-income18%13 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income7%Higher-income0%7 pp gap