District reports mixed LCAP results; AP pass rate, a-g completion hit historic highs

Dr. Casas presented the Escondido Union High School District's official California Dashboard results for the 2024-25 school year, focusing on LCAP goals and midyear progress. He told the board the district's unduplicated student rate is about 82% and cited 173 students identified as foster or homeless, which he said represent roughly 2.8% of the student population. "We have a total there aggregate of a 173 students that are either foster or homeless," he said, and he urged additional social-worker and counseling supports for those students.

On academic measures, Dr. Casas said the district saw important gains: the district's AP exam pass rate increased by 6.1%, a historic high, and the a-through-g completion rate rose by 2.6 percentage points to 52.4%, another district high. "We increased our district pass rate by 6.1%. I'll note that this is a historic high for EUHSD," he said. He also reported a mixed picture in grade-level measures: 9th-grade math pass rate dipped slightly versus the target while overall upper-grade math pass rates rose, and English learner reclassification decreased by 9.7 percentage points, a point of concern.

Board members pressed for clarification on measurement differences between teacher grades, Renaissance practice data and state assessments. Dr. Casas emphasized triangulating measures—GPA, interim assessments and CAASPP results—rather than relying on a single test. He also identified long-term English learners (LTELs) as a statewide priority and proposed targeted site-level interventions. The board directed staff to continue analyzing the data and to return with focused plans to address LTEL reclassification and foster/homeless student supports.