Original Research by School Decision on Whitcomb Continuation High
Whitcomb Continuation High is an alternative school serving grades 9 through 12 in Glendora, a suburban city in eastern Los Angeles County at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The school's enrollment is small, with the overwhelming majority of students in grade 12, indicating this is a school designed for students in their final year of high school who need a different path to graduation than a traditional campus provides.
The student body is diverse. About half the enrollment is Hispanic, with a substantial share identifying as white. A slim majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing many in lower-income households. The school serves a limited share of Asian, multiracial, and other racial groups. Data on English learners and students with disabilities were not available in the school's reported information.
Academic proficiency at Whitcomb is very low across all tested subjects. State assessments show that roughly one in seven students met proficiency in English language arts, about one in sixteen in mathematics, and roughly one in nine in science in the 2024-25 school year. These are stark numbers, and a parent may want to look into further detail with the school itself about its instructional approach, support services, and what outcomes beyond proficiency rates drive its program.
Continuation schools, by design, serve students who have not succeeded in traditional high school settings. They typically enroll older teens, those with significant gaps or course failures, and students who benefit from smaller class sizes, more individualized attention, and flexible scheduling. Whitcomb's enrollment distribution, with just a handful of students in grades 9 and 10 and the bulk in grade 12, is consistent with this role. These schools are not ranked or compared to traditional high schools because their student populations and purposes are fundamentally different. The question is whether Whitcomb's structure, staffing, and resources are actually designed to help its particular student group complete high school and transition to what comes next, not whether its test scores match those of a college-prep school.
Glendora itself is a largely built-out residential community where housing is moderately expensive, and most residents drive to work. The metro area is anchored by corporate headquarters including Rain Bird and the National Hot Rod Association, plus Citrus College, which serves as a key local employer. A newly opened Metro A Line light-rail station, which began service in September 2025, adds transit access to the region. The downtown Village is the city's walkable center, with local shops and cafes, while schools sit on separate campuses away from downtown. Glendora Unified is the district serving northern and central Glendora.
State assessment data, graduation rates, chronic absenteeism rates, and proficiency comparisons to other districts in Los Angeles County were limited or not available for this school in the reporting provided. This is often the case with alternative and continuation schools, which sit outside standard accountability frameworks; their students and goals differ from traditional high schools in ways those measures do not capture. What matters more is the school's ability to connect its graduates to diplomas, further education, or employment. A parent considering Whitcomb should ask the school directly about its completion rate, where graduates go after high school, and what student support systems exist.
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