Original Research by School Decision on Da Vinci Rise High
Da Vinci RISE High is a charter school in El Segundo serving grades nine through twelve. The school operates as part of the Da Vinci Schools network and serves a population experiencing significant economic and housing instability. A substantial majority of enrolled students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is primarily Hispanic and Black, with smaller representation from other backgrounds.
The school is very small, with enrollment concentrated in eleventh grade. This composition and size reflect the school's mission: it explicitly serves students navigating foster care, housing instability, and other serious life disruptions. For a family whose student faces these circumstances, the school's tailored design and support infrastructure are its core purpose.
Academically, the school faces substantial headwinds on state assessments. Current proficiency rates in English language arts, math, and science are all quite low. This is not unexpected for a population dealing with housing and foster care involvement, where academic engagement often takes a backseat to survival and stability. A parent considering this school should understand that state test scores alone do not capture what the school does. The relevant questions are whether its model addresses root causes of academic disruption, whether it maintains students in school who might otherwise drop out, and whether it creates pathways to completion and next steps.
On those fronts, the school has publicly reported accreditation at the highest level granted by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. For an alternative or flexible charter serving this population, that validation signals institutional stability and quality assurance. The district brief notes that the school has expanded its career technical education offerings. Students now access eleven CTE pathways, including newly configured skilled-trades and fabrication workshops, with industry partners designing project-based work. RISE students have participated in film projects with USC and other hands-on learning tied to personal storytelling. These are not traditional academic tracks; they are workforce and identity-grounded pathways designed to keep students engaged and moving toward completion.
A graduation rate for the school was not available in the data. For schools serving highly mobile, unstably housed populations, completion rates can be complex to measure and report, and absence of a published rate does not necessarily indicate failure. A parent whose student attends would benefit from asking the school directly about completion outcomes and what happens to graduates.
The school sits in El Segundo, part of Los Angeles County. Housing values in the area are substantial, reflecting a coastal location in a high-cost region. However, the vast majority of RISE students do not live in stable housing, so that local market context is not their lived reality. The school's mission and structure are built for students whose families are priced out or displaced.
For a parent whose high school student is in foster care, experiencing homelessness, or navigating similar disruptions, Da Vinci RISE offers an explicitly designed alternative to traditional high school. Its small size, career-technical focus, project-based learning, and accreditation suggest a serious attempt at meeting students where they are. State test scores will likely remain low because the population starts from deep disadvantage. The relevant measure is whether the school keeps these students in school, connected to adults who know them, and moving toward graduation and next steps. A family in this situation should speak directly with the school about outcomes, supports, and what completion looks like in their model.
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