California Education Code sections 58500 to 58512 defines alternative schools as, “a school or separate class group within a school which is operated in a manner designed to:

(a) Maximize the opportunity for students to develop the positive values of self-reliance, initiative, kindness, spontaneity, resourcefulness, courage, creativity, responsibility, and joy.

(b) Recognize that the best learning takes place when the student learns because of his desire to learn.

(c) Maintain a learning situation maximizing student self-motivation and encouraging the student in his own time to follow his own interests. These interests may be conceived by him totally and independently or may result in whole or in part from a presentation by his teachers of choices of learning projects.

(d) Maximize the opportunity for teachers, parents and students to cooperatively develop the learning process and its subject matter. This opportunity shall be a continuous, permanent process.

(e) Maximize the opportunity for the students, teachers, and parents to continuously react to the changing world, including but not limited to the community in which the school is located.”

• Formats: programs in schools, schools in districts, charter schools, private schools, community schools, virtual schools, juvenile hall schools, continuation schools. 
• Operators: school districts, county offices of education, and the Department of Juvenile Justice. 
• State governance: The state provides guidance on school and program alternatives throughout the Educational Options Office webpage. As a local control state, local school districts and county officers of education have oversight over the programs/schools they operate. 

1,009 schools (including Alternative, Continuation, Community Day, County Community, Juvenile Court, and Opportunity Schools).†

148,899 alternative school students served in 2024–25.†

Alternative schools are open to students of all ages.

California’s school and program alternatives provide students with the environment, curriculum, and support systems needed to ensure that they achieve their full academic potential. Eligibility for alternative learning programs in California is broad and inclusive. Students may be referred to or choose to participate in these programs based on various factors, including academic challenges, behavioral or emotional needs, personal circumstances, or specialized needs.

Importantly, California Education Code Section 58504 specifies that students cannot be excluded from alternative programs based solely on their previous academic performance. Participation is voluntary, and districts must ensure that students can attend alternative schools or programs of choice regardless of their past academic standing. Alternative schools and programs of choice must meet the same standards for curriculum, instruction, and student performance as traditional schools and must be maintained and funded at the same level of support as other educational programs.

California’s Local Control Funding Formula provides a base grant per student, with additional supplemental grants for low-income students, English learners, and foster youth. It also provides additional concentration grants for districts where over 55 percent of students fall into those high-need categories. This funding formula requires districts to create a Local Control and Accountability Plan that outlines how funds will improve student outcomes, with input from the community, and has supported academic growth across the state since implementation (Johnson, 2023).

All schools are treated the same under the accountability system, though there is a status label for alternative schools with Dashboard Alternative School Status (DASS) on the California School Dashboard that provides alternative measures for school success (described in the policy spotlight below). Additionally, the DASS filter is now included as an option and filter for many of the data reports available on DataQuest, California’s web-based system for publicly reporting information about students, teachers, and schools.

California’s alternative schools support a higher number of students than some states’ traditional high school systems, and its approach to alternative education accountability has evolved over time to better address the unique needs of schools serving students furthest from opportunity. The DASS was approved by the State Board of Education in 2017 to provide a more standardized and equitable framework for evaluating alternative schools. DASS incorporates alternative accountability indicators into the California School Dashboard for information purposes, ensuring that schools serving students furthest from educational opportunity are assessed using relevant and consistent measures.

The DASS framework is designed to acknowledge the distinct challenges faced by alternative schools, such as higher student mobility and diverse educational needs. By integrating alternative accountability indicators into the broader state accountability system (e.g., one-year graduation rate, stability rate), DASS seeks to provide a more accurate and fair assessment of alternative schools’ performance, ultimately guiding improvements and supporting student success.

The California Department of Education (CDE) requested an accountability waiver in 2022 from the U.S. Department of Education to use one-year graduation rate and modified cut scores with their alternative schools. Their request was denied based on the requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act. However, while federal law prohibits the use of DASS data for accountability, California Education Code Section 52052(d) continues to permit CDE reporting data separately for alternative schools for informational purposes. 

†Information provided by State Action Collaborative members.