American River Charter

Set in Georgetown, California, American River Charter is a low-enrollment K-12 campus, overseen by Black Oak Mine Unified. It caters to 263 students across grades K through 12. That puts it 56% leaner than the typical public school in California, which averages around 602 students.

Across the 6 schools in Black Oak Mine Unified (1,235 students total), American River Charter accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, American River Charter records that the largest single group is White, at 78% of enrollment; the rest is composed of 11% multiracial, 8% Hispanic. Compared to El Dorado County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

Looking at school resources, The school currently runs with 9 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 29.6:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 18.6:1 average. About 38% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, On a poverty-adjusted basis, American River Charter sits in the bottom 10% statewide. Predicted proficiency from the FRL regression is roughly 56.9%; actual is 27.0%, a gap of -29.8 points.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for El Dorado County indicate median household income runs about $108,845, roughly 40% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 5%. In all, El Dorado County runs 69 public schools (combined enrollment of about 34,706 students), of which American River Charter is one.

Nearest neighbor: Divide High, around 0.1 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 3 other public schools cluster around American River Charter. On composite proficiency, American River Charter comes 5th of 6 in the immediate cluster, behind the nearby-schools average of 37.3%.

Geographically, the school is in a rural area. As a public charter, American River Charter runs on public funding but with greater curricular and operational autonomy than a typical district school.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count increased 41%: 186 students in 2018 compared to 263 in 2025. The White share of enrollment fell from 87% to 78% over that span. Class-load math has rose: from 24.3:1 in 2018 to 29.6:1 in 2025.

On the community side, members of the American River Charter community share and discuss enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.