About the data CalMatters looked at data from the 2024-25 school year for 1,468 public high schools. We excluded about 800 alternative high schools, some specialized schools with high A-G rates, continuation schools and juvenile detention programs. To conduct the analysis, CalMatters merged the California Department of Education’s graduation rate by high school for the 2024-25 school year, which contained A-G rates, with the Public Schools and Districts Data File and the department’s data on schools in the Free and Reduced Price Meal program, a common way to measure low-income status at a school. CalMatters selected all high schools that weren’t labeled as “alternative” in the graduation rate data or in the Public Schools and Districts Data File.

High school seniors across California are anxiously awaiting word on their public university acceptances. But thousands of other soon-to-be graduates are virtually locked out. A key reason? Nearly half haven’t taken the required classes.