As of January 2023, World Population Review found that California is the most populated state in the U.S. with an estimated population of 40,223,504. Approximately nine million of these citizens are children under the age of 18 creating the need for a large school system. Today, we're looking at the largest elementary school, middle school, high school, and college in the state of California.
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The Largest Elementary School
River Springs Charter in Temecula, CA is the state's largest elementary school. Although it's K-12, it's listed as the largest elementary school by many sources with a student population of 7,363. Approximately half of these students are in elementary school. Springs Charter Schools was created by and is operated by parents. Their mission and vision is to empower students by fostering their natural curiosities, engaging parents in their child's education, and curating a personalized program for each student to ensure that they are thriving. River Springs Charter is the Temecula branch located at 27740 Jefferson Ave. Although the charter school aims for better education, the rapid growth of the population seems to have led to some struggles for the students. Over the last 5 years, the school's student population has grown by 16% and the teacher-to-student ratio is 32:1, well above the state average of 22:1.
“The percentage of students achieving proficiency in math is 35% (which is lower than the California state average of 40%) for the 2018-19 school year. The percentage of students achieving proficiency in reading/language arts is 49% (which is lower than the California state average of 51%) for the 2018-19 school year.”
Public School Review
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The Largest Middle School
The largest school for grades 6-8 is Alfred B. Nobel Charter Middle School. In Northridge, CA located at 9950 Tampa Avenue, they have a student population of 2,233. They center their education around “Learning by Doing” as stated in their mission statement and focus on hands-on and experiential learning. Although their student-to-teacher ratio is higher than the state average (22:1) at 27:1, the school ranks well in math and reading proficiency.
The percentage of students achieving proficiency in math is 58% (which is higher than the California state average of 40%) for the 2018-19 school year. The percentage of students achieving proficiency in reading/language arts is 69% (which is higher than the California state average of 51%) for the 2018-19 school year.
Public School Review
Even though the school is listed with the highest student population for a middle school in the state, its population has decreased by 8% over the last five years.
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The Largest High School
The largest high school for kids grades 9-12 is Eleanor Roosevelt High School. Located at 7447 Scholar Way in Eastvale, CA, they serve 4,692 students. A message from the principal to the community on the school's website sheds some light that the school has recently faced some challenges. A quick search reveals that a teacher was accused and arrested for sexual abuse in 2022. The teacher has since been released while the investigation was ongoing. Despite this hardship, the principal shares in his message that they have prevailed and moved forward to keep this school a great place to learn and grow. The data shows that Eleanor Roosevelt's students are proficient and scoring well.
The percentage of students achieving proficiency in math is 51% (which is higher than the California state average of 40%) for the 2018-19 school year. The percentage of students achieving proficiency in reading/language arts is 76% (which is higher than the California state average of 51%) for the 2018-19 school year.
Public School Review
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The Largest College
The University of Southern California in Los Angles, CA is the state's highest-populated college with 49,318 students. USC is a private research university and a global center for arts, technology, and international business. As stated on the college's website, they were ranked 19th among more than 1,000 public and private universities by The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education. USC, Caltech, and Stanford University are the only California institutions to be ranked in the top 20.
The school's six-year graduation rate since 2017 has stayed steady at around 92%, and in June 2022 5,424 Bachelor's degrees and 12,393 Advanced degrees were awarded. Although a well-ranked school, it is not the easiest to get into with a low acceptance rate of 16%. This statistic makes the University of Southern California one of the most selective colleges and universities in the U.S. If you or a loved one is interested in attending USC, it is recommended to apply to other schools in addition.
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