Original Research by School Decision on San Andreas High
San Andreas High is an alternative public high school serving grades eleven and twelve in Highland, a residential foothill city in northern San Bernardino County's Inland Empire. The school enrolls a small population, with most students in grade twelve and a smaller cohort in grade eleven. The student body is predominantly Latino, with substantial Black representation and small percentages of Asian, White, and multiracial students. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic conditions of the community the school serves.
Highland itself is a car-dependent residential city split between two school districts, with the western portion, where San Andreas sits, served by San Bernardino City Unified. The city spans older ranch-style and manufactured housing west of the freeway to newer master-planned developments to the east, anchored historically by the Highland Historic District on Palm Avenue but experiencing significant new residential growth. The region's major employer is the Yaamava' Resort & Casino, supplemented by warehouse and logistics work. Public transit through Omnitrans provides local bus service with connections to San Bernardino Transit Center and Metrolink toward Los Angeles.
San Andreas is positioned as an alternative high school rather than a comprehensive one. The district has built its high school system around Linked Learning career pathways, integrating college-prep academics with career and technical education, work-based learning, and dual enrollment. This structural model applies across both comprehensive and alternative schools in the district, meaning families choosing San Andreas would be engaging with that pathway framework as the district's primary architecture for secondary education.
The 2024-25 state assessment data shows proficiency in English language arts, mathematics, and science well below typical performance benchmarks. English language arts proficiency was reported at a low level; mathematics proficiency was notably lower still; science proficiency was also low. The school's data reflects only one year of results, so trend direction is not yet available. Alternative schools often serve students working toward graduation through different models and pacing than comprehensive schools, and this performance profile warrants discussion directly with the school about its curriculum, support structures, and the student population it enrolls. A parent may want to look into further detail on how the school's alternative model supports the students it serves and what pathways to completion and next steps it offers.
A graduation rate was not available in the data provided, and the state does not test grades below nine, so tenth-grade performance is not reported. The school does not report data on students with individualized education plans or English learners, which may reflect how the school categorizes or reports enrollment or be a data reporting gap; parents should ask the school directly about its special education and English learner services.
The wider San Bernardino City Unified district adopted Vision 2030: SBCUSD SHINES as its strategic plan in April 2024, setting multi-year direction on academics, college and career readiness, equity, student wellness, and safe learning environments. This framework applies to all the district's schools, including San Andreas, and defines the standards against which the school's work will be measured through 2030. For families considering San Andreas, the school's fit depends on understanding its alternative model, its specific supports and pathways, the outcomes it tracks for its students, and how it aligns with individual student needs and goals.
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