Community Day Schools - CalEdFacts
This content is part of California Department of Education's information and media guide about education in the State of California. For similar information on other topics, visit the full CalEdFacts.The purpose of community day schools is to provide an education setting for students who have been expelled from a school, students referred by a school attendance review board or probation, and other youth at high risk. Community day schools are operated by school districts.
The 360-minute minimum instructional day includes academic programs that provide challenging curriculum and individual instructional strategies to meet the students' learning abilities and modalities. Community day schools also include school-to-career and other "real world" connections as a part of the curriculum. Additionally, community day school programs focus on the development of social skills, emotional development, and resiliency. Community day schools are expected to operate in an environment of high expectations for staff and students. Community day schools are intended to have low student-to-teacher ratios. Students benefit from learning support services that include school counselors and psychologists, academic and vocational counselors, and pupil behavioral support personnel. Students also receive collaborative services from county offices of education, law enforcement, probation, and human services agency personnel who work with at-risk youth.
According to the California School Directory, as of May 2023, there were 161 community day schools.