Original Research by School Decision on Olympic Continuation High
Olympic Continuation High is an alternative school serving grades 11 and 12 in Concord, California, within the Mt. Diablo Unified district. It occupies a distinct role in the district's high school landscape: it is a school designed for students whose educational paths diverge from traditional high school settings, whether due to course credit gaps, behavioral histories, or other circumstances that make a continuation program a better fit than a conventional campus.
The school enrolls a small population, nearly all of it in grade 12. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller shares of Black, White, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaska Native students, and students identifying as two or more races. The enrolled population is economically and racially concentrated compared to broader district demographics.
State testing data from spring 2025 show that proficiency rates at Olympic are low. In English language arts, about 1 in 6 students scored at the proficient level or above. In math, proficiency was in the single digits. Science proficiency was zero. These numbers reflect the reality of a continuation school's student composition. Students arrive at continuation settings after falling behind in their home schools, and catching up quickly, measured in a single school year, is inherently difficult. A parent evaluating this school should understand these scores in context: they describe the current state of attainment among an already academically fragile cohort, not the school's capacity to move students forward.
The school's fundamental value lies in its function as a pathway to completion for students who would otherwise not graduate. A continuation program holds students to a diploma track through flexible scheduling, credit-recovery coursework, and a smaller community in which staff can track individual progress more closely than a school of standard size allows. Olympic's concentration in grade 12 suggests it serves primarily as a senior-year intervention, helping students who arrive with significant credit deficits finish the requirements they need. Without schools of this type, these students often leave without a diploma.
Continuation schools operate outside the typical college-preparatory frame. They do not house traditional AP offerings, honors tracks, or the breadth of electives found in comprehensive high schools. Instead, they prioritize core academics, credit recovery, and diploma completion. Families choosing Olympic are not choosing a school built around academic enrichment; they are choosing one built around credential attainment for students in acute need.
Data on graduation rate, attendance, chronic absenteeism, and detailed staffing were not available. The school's civil rights climate, disciplinary patterns, and any specialized student supports (special education, English learner services) also did not appear in the available records. A parent should ask Olympic's counselors and administrators directly about these dimensions: how the school tracks student progress toward graduation, what intervention support is available to students who struggle, and how the school handles attendance and behavioral concerns. These specifics matter at a continuation site far more than state test scores because completion depends on them.
Concord itself is the commercial and civic anchor of central Contra Costa County, a mid-sized city with a walkable historic downtown anchored by Todos Santos Plaza, two BART stations, and parks including the large Lime Ridge Open Space. Housing costs in the Concord area are substantial, and rents are rising. The city's most significant ongoing change is the redevelopment of the former Naval Weapons Station, a project expected to add thousands of new homes over the coming years, which will shape the student demographics and demand for schools over the next decade. For now, Olympic sits in a diverse, working-class city with a large Hispanic population, serving students whose families often face economic pressure and whose own academic trajectories required intervention.
This is a school where a student's presence means they have a second chance at a diploma. It is not a destination school, and it is not meant to be. It is a safety net school, and that is its proper measure.
See more original research from School Decision →