Three Rivers Charter, Fort Bragg CA

Original Research by School Decision on Three Rivers Charter

Three Rivers Charter is a small public charter school serving grades one through eight in Fort Bragg, a compact coastal city that was historically centered on timber and fishing but has transitioned toward service and tourism. The school's student body is a mixture of white and Hispanic students, with a substantial share of families qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Enrollment stands at a small number overall, with grades distributed unevenly across the span.

The most recent state assessment data shows English language arts proficiency substantially higher than math. In English language arts, students in grades six and seven performed at about or slightly above a moderate threshold, while eighth grade was lower; students in the lower elementary grades did not register reportable results, likely owing to the school's size. In math, proficiency is notably weaker, declining across the middle grades and dropping to about one-third in grade eight. Science testing in eighth grade showed proficiency at one quarter. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly in mathematics, where the pattern suggests students are leaving the school's span with limited proficiency. When proficiency results across tested grades and subjects are averaged together, the school's overall index places it in the top quarter relative to districts in Mendocino County, though this reflects the strength of English language arts and should not be read as suggesting the school's math outcomes are strong.

Assessment data from prior years was not available, so the direction of these results over time cannot be determined. The school lacks high school grades, so there is no graduation rate. Chronic absenteeism data, staffing information, and attendance patterns were not provided.

Three Rivers Charter is situated in Fort Bragg proper, within the downtown-adjacent city street grid rather than on a separate campus. The town is small and walkable, anchored by a historic downtown along Main Street with shops, galleries, restaurants and local government offices. A working fishing harbor at Noyo and the Skunk Train heritage railway are major civic anchors. Health care, retail, construction and public education are the leading employment sectors since the Georgia-Pacific lumber mill closed. Housing values in the area are moderate relative to the state benchmark. Growth has historically been constrained by water supply, though new reservoirs are now enabling development, including several forthcoming housing projects and a long-term vision for redevelopment of the former mill site on the bluffs.

The school district is Three Rivers Charter District, a charter governance distinct from the traditional Fort Bragg Unified School District; no recent changes or parent-relevant policy shifts in the charter district were surfaced.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 646%

School 46% · district not reported

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 36 pts above county median

Grade 736%

School 36% · district not reported

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

Grade 833%

School 33% · district not reported

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

English language arts

Grade 664%

School 64% · district not reported

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

Grade 764%

School 64% · district not reported

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 36 pts above county median

Grade 842%

School 42% · district not reported

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Science

Grade 825%

School 25% · district not reported

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 3 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.