At Summit Shasta, educators are committed to a strong mission and culture that prioritizes developing students’ ability to be self-directed and self-motivated lifelong learners. Summit Shasta—like all Summit Public Schools—works to equip each student with the knowledge, skills, and mindsets they need to pursue whichever postsecondary pathway aligns with their passion, values, and interests. The school relies on the Concrete Next Step program—which started as a pilot with support from XQ and is now in use not only at Summit Shasta but throughout the entire Summit Public Schools charter network. Students are encouraged to think about and plan for their future starting in 9th grade, mapping their courses, extracurriculars, and work experiences.

The school offers an integrated, purpose-based curriculum culminating in an oral defense given to a personal advisory board of student-selected mentors. These projects help students explore and develop skills and plans for life after high school.

Summit Shasta educators support students in their personal and academic growth through the school’s Habits of Success Framework, which focuses on challenge-seeking, persistence, strategy-shifting, and appropriate help-seeking. Teachers receive high-quality professional development to help them accelerate their craft. As part of the Summit Public Schools charter network, Shasta benefits from the Marshall Teacher Residency program—designed to build a long-term, sustainable, and diverse pipeline of teachers prepared to lead high-quality, personalized learning classrooms at learner-centered schools. The school’s approach to education is grounded in what science tells us about how students learn best.

Student Outcomes

Summit Shasta’s class of 2022 had a graduation rate of 94 percent, compared to 91.1 percent for the Jefferson Union High District and 88.3 percent statewide. The class of 2022 also had a very high rate of completing all “A-G” courses necessary to be eligible for admission to the state’s four-year public universities, almost double the rates in the surrounding district and statewide (94 versus 50 and 45 percent). 

A higher proportion of Summit Shasta 2022 graduates met the SAT’s college-ready benchmark for reading and writing compared with California and the U.S. (75 versus 72 and 65 percent). That’s on top of an SAT participation rate four times the state average and twice the national average (96 versus 21 and 48 percent).

The Class of 2022 had a 100 percent participation rate in at least one AP course and exam compared with 35 percent nationally. And its graduates passed one or more AP exams at double the rate compared with the 2022 graduates nationally (47 versus 21.6 percent).