Capitol Collegiate Academy

Population Growth
The population in the South Sacramento community has increased, with an 8% jump in the last seven years, bringing the total residency to over 40,000 people.²³ Many residents are younger families and, as a result, the population of students in South Sacramento has declined over the past two decades with the prospect of a jump in kindergarten-aged students over the next three years.²⁴ This reflects the stability in potential enrollment numbers for Capitol Collegiate.

Figure 1.3: Enrollment Information for Clayton B. Wire Elementary School²⁵



Figure 1.4: Enrollment Information for Ethel I. Baker Elementary School²⁶



Student Achievement
A large percentage of students throughout the Oak Park, Lemon Hill, and Lawrence Park communities currently attend under-performing district schools. The district-wide performance on the California Standards Test (CST) remains relatively low with 52% of district fifth graders and 55% of district eighth graders below proficiency in English Language Arts. Additionally, 32% of fifth graders are below proficiency in mathematics, and 64% are below proficiency in science.²⁷ South Sacramento elementary schools perform significantly lower on these exams, many earning a statewide rank of 1 out of a possible 10.²⁸
These students will enroll in high school with the probability of even lower levels of achievement. In Sacramento City Unified, 79% of ninth graders are not proficient in Algebra I and 63% of eleventh graders are not proficient in English Language Arts.²⁹ Historically, students who live in households at or below the poverty line are at greater risk of academic failure than their peers living in households above the poverty line.³⁰ With every year of increasingly lower levels of proficiency and achievement, the risk of students not meeting grade level expectations or completing high school increases substantially.
In the 2009 report “Closing the Graduation Gap,” the urgency of education attainment is clear. Since 1975, those with bachelor degrees have seen a real income increase of 23%, while those solely with high school diplomas have increased by only 10%. Workers who did not have high school diplomas saw a decrease in their income of over 10%.³¹ This study also takes a closer look at the nation’s 50 largest cities and their graduation rates. In Sacramento, 62.1% of high school students graduate, an increase of only 4.9% over the last ten years, matching the approximate average of the 50 largest cities. This study also ranks Sacramento as 27^th out of 41 cities in closing the achievement gap between students of different socio-economic levels.³² Further, the ten-year study between 1995 and 2005 shows an almost doubled increase in the graduation trends of suburban students compared to those in urban areas.
The South Sacramento community is in need of schools that are focused solely on addressing the foundational needs of elementary and middle school students and schools that are committed to high and measurable academic achievement. This requires schools to stringently push literacy and numeracy skills with the end goal being development for college preparatory high school programs, with students solidly on their way to competitive colleges and universities - and not solely preparation on moving to the next grade level.
In this defined section of South Sacramento, there are currently 10 elementary schools and one charter school. These ten schools serve approximately 4,100 students.³³ The charter school in the area serves 287 students in kindergarten through grade eight using a two-way Spanish immersion model. Figure 1.5 reflects the academic performance of the district schools in this area.
Figure 1.5: Academic Performance of Elementary Schools in South Sacramento³⁴

South Sacramento Area Elementary Schools	# of Students (2009)	Met School-wide Growth Target	Met All Sub-group Growth Targets	API Score (2009)	API State Ranking (2009)	Similar Schools Rank (2009)	Free and Reduced Lunch Eligible	% Require Special Services (2009)	% English Language Learners (2009)
Father Keith B. Kenny	343^35	No	No	631	2	5	90%	10%	14%
Oak Ridge	459	No	No	649	1	1	99%	15%	41%
Fruit Ridge	374	Yes	No	676	1	2	100%	4%	31%
Ethel Phillips	465	Yes	Yes	763	2	7	100%	12%	45%
Huntington	239	Yes	Yes	695	1	2	93%	15%	38%
Maple	284	No	No	739	4	7	99%	7%	45%
Ethel I. Baker	679	No	No	704	2	4	100%	6%	52%
Pacific	599	Yes	Yes	728	1	1	100%	9%	65%
Clayton B. Wire	481	Yes	No	720	3	3	93%	10%	46%

There are currently two middle schools and one public charter school in this area of the South Sacramento community. Figure 1.6 indicates the current performance levels of these schools serving grades seven and eight.

Figure 1.6: Academic Performance of Middle Schools in this Area of South Sacramento³⁶

South Sacramento Area Middle Schools	# of Students (2009)^37	Met School-wide Growth Target	Met All Sub-group Growth Targets	API Score (2009)	API State Ranking (2009)	Similar Schools Rank (2009)	Free and Reduced Lunch Eligible	% Require Special Services (2009)	% English Language Learners (2009)
Will C. Wood	771	No	No	709	4	9	94%	12%	36%
Fern Bacon	769	No	No	638	2	5	90%	11%	43%

Figure 1.7 (please see next page) provides the specific proficiency levels of these same elementary and middle school students in the areas of Reading, Math, Social Sciences and Science on the California Standards Test.

Figure 1.7: School Proficiency Rates

Grades	Percent Proficient Reading	Percent Proficient Mathematics	Percent Proficient Social Science	Percent Proficient Science
Father Keith B. Kenny	26%	32%	N/A	4%
Oak Ridge	28%	36%	N/A	12%
Fruit Ridge	30%	38%	N/A	14%
Ethel Phillips	40%	57%	N/A	11%
Huntington	30%	40%	N/A	10%
Maple	31%	48%	N/A	28%
Ethel I. Baker	32%	39%	N/A	18%
Pacific	50%	50%	N/A	14%
Clayton B. Wire	37%	48%	N/A	38%
Will C. Wood Middle	35%	37%	33%	45%
Fern Bacon Middle	25%	21%	16%	30%