Original Research by School Decision on Almanor High (continuation)
Almanor High (Continuation) is an alternative school serving grades nine through twelve in Chester, an unincorporated mountain community on Lake Almanor in Plumas County. As a continuation school, it serves students who may be working toward graduation through a different pathway than the traditional Chester Junior-Senior High. The school is part of Plumas Unified School District, which is administered from Quincy, about thirty miles away.
The data available for this school does not include enrollment figures, state assessment results, graduation rates, or chronic absenteeism rates. This absence of reported metrics is typical for continuation schools, which often sit outside standard state testing and reporting frameworks because they serve students on non-traditional schedules or with different instructional models. A parent considering Almanor High should contact the school or district directly to learn about current enrollment, the specific student population served, program structure, and any academic or support services available.
Chester itself is a small, rural community shaped by lumber production and tourism around Lake Almanor. The dominant employer is Collins Pine Company, which operates a sawmill in town and manages surrounding forest land; this industry anchors the local economy alongside seasonal visitor traffic from the lake and proximity to Lassen Volcanic National Park. The town has a compact, walkable downtown along Main Street where shops, restaurants, thrift stores, and community spaces cluster. Much of Chester's civic life depends on this downtown core, including the Chester Branch Library, Chester Park, and the Almanor Recreation Center.
Housing in the Chester zip code is moderately priced relative to the state benchmark, and home ownership is common. The community remains in recovery from the 2021 Dixie Fire, which burned a vast swath of Plumas County and destroyed structures across the region. The state's ReCoverCA program and county-administered grants are currently funding homeowner reconstruction, though many projects remain in progress. In September 2024, Plumas Unified adopted new developer impact fees on all new construction countywide, which adds to the cost of building a house. This fee took effect in November 2024 and is a material factor for families planning to build or relocate into the district.
The Plumas Unified School District serves a geographically large, sparsely populated county where only a small portion of land is privately owned; much of the rest is national forest and timber holdings. The district's geography and fire recovery work have reshaped how and where schooling is delivered. Plumas Transit Systems provides bus service connecting Chester to Quincy and other parts of the county, though service is limited compared to urban or suburban transit. Rogers Field, a public general-aviation airport, borders Chester's southwest edge.
A parent considering Almanor High (Continuation) for their student should reach out to the school to understand its current academic offerings, student support services, enrollment, and how it differs from traditional high school pathways. The school's website or the Plumas Unified district office can provide specifics on program design, graduation requirements, and whether the continuation model fits the student's needs.
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