499 School St
Cotati, CA 94931

I went here in the 90's for 9th and 10th grade and grew up here. It's surprising graduates of the Ranch are even literate. I took my proficiency exam at 16 and somehow passed. When I got to college I had to start at the lowest level math and english classes available. We were rebels, but the classrooms, the kids ran them. I was usually way smarter than most kids but no teacher pushed me to excel and I had to push myself after I graduated with my proficiency diploma. I think the problem is a combo of teachers that aren't really equipped or interested in guiding the kids towards success, and probably to some extent a lack of parental involvement. You can see from the test scores it's just barely an average school. I'm a parent now and my spouse have I have worked hard and always prioritized living in good public school districts for our kids. Mine are in high school now and they are at a 10/10 school. I see the difference at every level, from teacher involvement, parent involvement, the coursework, homework load, expectations of students. We had none of that. Many of us still managed to be reasonably successful adults though.

The PTA is the downfall of the school. The few parents (and teachers) that are active seem to be playing the same tune year after year and unable to recruit new people. The teachers and staff are very engaged with the students and take an active part in making sure the students "get it." The campus is big with a lot of outdoor space including an expansive garden. The number of students is low - around 400 for TK-8th grades.