Redwood Preparatory Charter, Fortuna CA

Original Research by School Decision on Redwood Preparatory Charter

Redwood Preparatory Charter is a small, kindergarten-through-eighth-grade charter school in Fortuna serving about two hundred thirty students. The school sits on Ross Hill Road and operates as its own single-school charter district.

The school's academic picture is mixed. In English language arts, proficiency rates show real variation across grades, ranging from a low point in third grade to much stronger performance in seventh grade. Math proficiency is clustered in the middle range across the grades tested, with a notable dip in fifth grade. Science proficiency, measured in fifth and eighth grades, sits below the rates in both other subjects. Overall, the school's proficiency index places it in the top quartile among schools in Humboldt County, a position that reflects stronger academic standing relative to peers in the region, though absolute performance levels indicate room for growth in several grades and subjects.

The school draws from Fortuna's residential base. About half the enrolled students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student population is predominantly white, with Hispanic students making up the next largest share and smaller numbers of multiracial and Asian students. Enrollment figures by grade are relatively consistent across elementary and middle grades, with a notably larger kindergarten cohort.

Fortuna itself is a small Humboldt County city with a small-town character rooted in timber, fishing, and agriculture, though it has shifted toward healthcare and retail employment in recent decades. The community identity centers on downtown Main Street and events like the Fortuna Rodeo Week and harvest festival. Housing stock is primarily single-family and manufactured homes, with newer construction focused on east-side subdivisions. The median home value in the Fortuna area is below the California state benchmark, making it relatively more affordable than most of the state, though mortgage rates remain elevated. The city has grown steadily and continues to see new residential development, with ongoing planning around a mixed-use Mill District project on the former lumber mill site.

The school enrolls only through eighth grade, so there is no state graduation rate or direct high school pathway information to report. No data were available on special education enrollment, English learner counts, or rates of chronic absenteeism. The district brief found no recent major operational, curricular, or facility changes affecting parents' decision-making. A parent interested in this school may want to inquire directly about the school's approach to the grades where proficiency is lower, the nature of support for students in transition to high school, and any academic acceleration or intervention structures in place.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 352%

School 52% · district not reported

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

Grade 458%

School 58% · district not reported

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 530%

School 30% · district not reported

even with state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 663%

School 63% · district not reported

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 39 pts above county median

Grade 759%

School 59% · district not reported

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 846%

School 46% · district not reported

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 336%

School 36% · district not reported

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 458%

School 58% · district not reported

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 535%

School 35% · district not reported

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 667%

School 67% · district not reported

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 786%

School 86% · district not reported

▲ 41 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 854%

School 54% · district not reported

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Science

Grade 539%

School 39% · district not reported

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 842%

School 42% · district not reported

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

This schoolDistrict average, 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 5Lower-income33%Higher-income36%3 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income91%Higher-income82%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income25%Higher-income36%11 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income36%Higher-income82%45 pp gap