Carter G. Woodson Public Charter, Fresno CA

Original Research by School Decision on Carter G. Woodson Public Charter

Carter G. Woodson Public Charter serves grades 7 through 12 in Fresno as a single-school charter district. It is a very small school, and its population is predominantly low-income and Hispanic, with a substantial majority of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. This is a school for students who need direct career preparation and structure alongside their academic studies.

The school's defining recent initiative is a fully embedded career-readiness model. Every senior must complete one of three career and technical education pathways before graduation. The school has also built dual-enrollment partnerships that let students earn college credits or certificates while still in high school. The school developed over fifty internship partnerships to support job shadowing and hands-on work experience. For families looking for a school that ties academics to real workplace preparation and college pathways from the start of high school, this is a purposeful design choice, not an afterthought.

Academic performance, however, is a serious concern. State assessment data from the most recent year show proficiency rates that are very low across tested subjects and grade levels. In English language arts, overall proficiency is in the low double digits. In mathematics, proficiency is in the single digits. Science proficiency is also very low. When compared to other school districts in Fresno County, this school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. No graduation rate or chronic absenteeism data were available, so a parent may want to look into completion rates and attendance patterns directly with the school.

The school sits in Fresno, a sprawling Central Valley city where the economy carries a strong agricultural imprint alongside government, healthcare and services. Fresno's downtown and cultural districts such as the Tower District are undergoing revitalization, though much of the city remains car-dependent and low-density. The area's housing market is below the state benchmark but carries typical contemporary affordability pressures.

Woodson's location on North Bond Avenue places it in a car-oriented part of the city, not a walkable neighborhood. Students likely need transportation to campus. The school's small enrollment and tight career focus mean it draws students with specific family interest in work-based learning and college-dual-credit pathways. Given the stark gap between the school's robust program design and its current academic results, families should have a direct conversation with school leadership about how academic support and instruction align with the career-readiness mission, and what data the school tracks to monitor student progress toward both career and college readiness.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

55-59%Cohort of 129 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 718%

School 18% · district not reported

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

Grade 84%

School 4% · district not reported

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 70%

School 0% · district not reported

▼ 45 pts below state median · ▼ 40 pts below county median

Grade 817%

School 17% · district not reported

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Science

Grade 84%

School 4% · district not reported

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below 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.