Surprise Valley High

As an one-room-style four-year high school in Cedarville, California, Surprise Valley High instructs 38 students from grades 8 through 12, run under Surprise Valley Joint Unified. That puts it 95% below the typical public school in California, which averages around 838 students.

Surprise Valley Joint Unified runs 2 schools in total, collectively educating 89 students. Surprise Valley High is one of those campuses.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Surprise Valley High logs that White students make up the majority at 55%. Beyond that, the school records 24% Hispanic, 11% multiracial, 11% Native American. The wider county runs roughly 79% White, putting the school's mix considerably less White than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, The school lists 4 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 10.3:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 18.2:1 average. Around 63% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

With demographic context factored in, Surprise Valley High is in the bottom 10% of California public schools. The BeatsExpectations model predicts schools with this FRL share to land around 41.9%; Surprise Valley High posts 23.4%, -18.5 points below that line.

Around the school, ACS estimates for Modoc County put the typical household earns roughly $59,455 per year, 25% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 8%. Across Modoc County's 10 public schools (combined enrollment of about 855 students), Surprise Valley High is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Surprise Valley Elementary, roughly 0.0 miles away. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Surprise Valley High at 3rd of 4; the average score across the group is 25.0%.

The school occupies a rural site.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Surprise Valley High has edged up 52%, going from 25 students in 2018 to 38 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share shrank from 28% to 24%. The student-to-teacher ratio grew from 5.6:1 in 2018 to 10.3:1 today.

On this page, recent activity here tends to focus on enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. The community welcomes input from current and former families.