Julian Charter, Julian CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Julian Charter

Julian Charter is a small, kindergarten-through-twelfth-grade charter school located in the Julian Historic District, a mountain town in San Diego County. The school serves a community that is older, well-educated, largely homeowning, and oriented toward tourism and agriculture. Understanding this school means understanding both its academic performance and the compact rural setting in which it operates.

The school's enrollment is small, reflecting the town's population. About half the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating moderate economic diversity within a rural, tight-knit community. The student body is predominantly white and Hispanic, with smaller shares of other races and ethnicities. Specific counts for English learners and students receiving special education services are not available in the data provided.

Academic performance shows uneven proficiency across grades and subjects. In math, proficiency ranges widely by grade level, from the upper range in eighth grade to weaker performance in seventh and sixth grades, with middle grades showing around half meeting the standard. English language arts shows similar variability: fourth-grade students trail substantially, while fifth and eighth graders meet or exceed the midpoint, and sixth and seventh grades fall below. Fourth-grade ELA proficiency stands out as a particular soft spot. Science proficiency data is limited to grades five and eight, both at the midpoint statewide standard. Third-grade results in both math and ELA are suppressed, likely due to small class sizes. Overall, the school's proficiency index places it above the midpoint among the county's forty-two schools with comparable testing data, though this reflects modest rather than strong performance. A parent may want to look into the school's approach to the lower-performing grades and how the school supports students moving into the upper grades, where performance tends stronger.

The school is part of the Julian Charter District, an independent study charter operated by the same entity. No recent district-level changes with staying power have been publicly reported, so a parent seeking to understand the school's trajectory or any recent shifts in governance or pedagogy would need to contact the school directly.

Julian itself is a historic, rural mountain community with a small walkable downtown centered on Main Street and surrounded by open land, orchards, and national forest. The town has no large employers; economic life revolves around tourism, apple growing, small hospitality and retail businesses, and public institutions. Housing values are modest by San Diego County standards, though inventory is tight due to limited supply and tourism demand. The community is predominantly homeowners and well-established residents. Wildfire risk is significant and affects property values and insurance. Schools sit on separate campuses away from the downtown core rather than as part of the commercial center.

For families considering this school, the relevant questions are whether the small size and rural setting fit their student's needs, whether the academic pattern across grades aligns with your child's strengths, and whether you can access the school given its location in a mountain town with minimal public transit. The school is part of a rural district with no reported recent reforms or expansions, so a visit and conversation with staff would be the best way to understand its day-to-day culture and instructional approach.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=80%Cohort of 19 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 455%

School 55% · district not reported

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

Grade 550%

School 50% · district not reported

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

Grade 644%

School 44% · district not reported

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

Grade 739%

School 39% · district not reported

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 867%

School 67% · district not reported

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

English language arts

Grade 436%

School 36% · district not reported

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 564%

School 64% · district not reported

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

Grade 650%

School 50% · district not reported

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

Grade 739%

School 39% · district not reported

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

Grade 857%

School 57% · district not reported

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

Science

Grade 550%

School 50% · district not reported

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

Grade 850%

School 50% · district not reported

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 19 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 7Lower-income60%Higher-income9%51 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 7Lower-income40%Higher-income36%4 pp gap