Original Research by School Decision on Casa Grande High
Casa Grande High is a mid-sized suburban public high school serving grades 9 through 12 in Petaluma, located on Casa Grande Road on the city's east side, apart from the walkable downtown core. The school draws from a diverse student body: a substantial share are Hispanic students, with significant portions of white and Asian students, and nearly half the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is distributed fairly evenly across the four grades.
On California's state assessments for 2024-25, Casa Grande reports two-thirds proficiency in English language arts. Math proficiency is substantially lower, at about one-third of students. Science proficiency is also below the midpoint, slightly higher than math. These results reflect a school where reading comprehension and communication sit stronger than quantitative skills, and a parent should view the math numbers as an area of particular concern. The single year of available data means a trend cannot yet be established, so conversation with the school about what support exists for students struggling in math and science would be worthwhile.
No data was available on the school's graduation rate, chronic absenteeism, or the share of students with individualized education plans or English learner status. These gaps often reflect the state's testing and reporting structure or lags in data release rather than a weakness in the school itself, but a parent may want to request those figures directly from the district or school.
Petaluma itself is a historic river city with a walkable downtown anchored by riverfront parks, boutiques, galleries, and music venues, though the overall city requires a car for most errands. Growth is steady, with new housing developments and transit-oriented projects emerging near the newly opened Petaluma North SMART rail station. Health care, retail, and manufacturing anchor the local economy, alongside notable companies like Amy's Kitchen, Lagunitas Brewing, and CamelBak.
The housing market in the 94954 zip code is moderately expensive by national standards but typical for Sonoma County, with median home values well above the state average and monthly rents in the mid-range. Affordability pressures are present: the cost of housing relative to income runs considerably higher than national norms.
The Petaluma Joint Union High School District, Casa Grande's parent district, is navigating a funding squeeze. In November 2024 voters approved Measure AA, a capital bond for modernizing classrooms, science labs, technology and career-training facilities, and addressing deferred maintenance and safety upgrades. However, the district has faced successive defeats of a parcel tax to support operating expenses and teacher compensation, with Measure B failing in March 2024 and Measure I falling short in November 2025. Without dedicated funding, district officials have warned of potential cuts to programs and class sizes, a staffing challenge families should monitor as they weigh the school's capacity to support their student.
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