Gateway Unified at a glance
Gateway Unified is a TK-12 district with its office at 4411 Mountain Lakes Boulevard in Redding. It runs schools in both Shasta Lake and north Redding: River Ridge Elementary, Grand Oaks Elementary, Shasta Lake Middle School, Central Valley High School, Mountain Lakes High School and Gateway Educational Options, plus Rocky Point Charter School, which it authorizes. Because one district covers the whole city, the main school question in Shasta Lake is which attendance area a home falls in, not which district.
| Measure (2025 Dashboard, 2024-25 school year) | Gateway Unified | California |
|---|---|---|
| English (ELA), distance from standard | -32.8 (Yellow, up 17.6) | -8.1 (Yellow) |
| Math, distance from standard | -63.9 (Yellow, up 6.4) | -42.4 (Yellow) |
| Chronic absenteeism (K-8) | 24.2% (Orange) | 17.1% (Yellow) |
| Four-year graduation rate | 87.7% (Yellow) | 87.8% (Green) |
Source: California Department of Education, 2025 Dashboard data files, all-student rows. The district's English score improved by 17.6 points in a year, but it remains below the state average on both tests.
Reading the California School Dashboard figures
The Dashboard gives no overall grade. Each indicator gets one of five colors, from red through orange, yellow and green to blue, set by combining this year's level with the change since last year. That is why a school with a low score can still be yellow if it improved sharply. Test results are reported as distance from standard: the average gap, in scale-score points, between students' scores and the level the state counts as meeting grade-level standards.
Small schools often show no color: Mountain Lakes High, with 23 students tested, has none on either test. Results at continuation and independent-study schools are hard to compare with a comprehensive campus, because they enroll students with different needs. Read each school's School Accountability Report Card, which Gateway posts for every school and year, for class sizes, teacher credentials and course offerings.
Shasta Lake high schools
Central Valley High School (Gateway Unified)
Central Valley High, at 4066 La Mesa Avenue in Shasta Lake, is the district's comprehensive high school for grades 9 to 12. On the 2025 Dashboard its students scored 54.8 points above standard in English, rated Blue after a 24.0-point gain, and 16.0 below standard in math, rated Green after a 17.2-point gain. Both results were above the state averages. Its four-year graduation rate was 97.1% across 105 students, also Blue. The school offers career technical courses in manufacturing, robotics, agriculture science, agriculture mechanics and culinary arts through a partnership with the Regional Occupations Program.
Mountain Lakes High School (continuation)
Mountain Lakes High, at 17752 Shasta Dam Boulevard, is a continuation school for grades 10 to 12. Its graduation rate was 65.0% for a cohort of 40 students, rated Red. Only 23 students were tested, too few for a color on the test indicators. The same campus houses Gateway Adult School and the Gateway Community Day School.
Gateway Educational Options (independent study)
Gateway Educational Options, or GEO, is a K-12 independent-study school of choice on the Mountain Lakes High campus. The district says any student living inside its boundaries can apply through a referral from their current school. GEO's graduation rate was 88.0% for 25 students, and its chronic absenteeism was rated Red at 50.0%, a measure that is hard to compare for independent-study programs.
Shasta Lake middle and elementary schools
Gateway has reorganized its younger grades. The state school directory now lists River Ridge Elementary for preschool through grade 4, Grand Oaks Elementary for kindergarten through grade 4, and Shasta Lake Middle School for grades 5 to 8. The 2025 Dashboard covers the 2024-25 year and uses older names for two schools, noted below.
Shasta Lake Middle School (Gateway Unified)
Shasta Lake Middle School is at 4620 Vallecito Street; the 2025 Dashboard lists it simply as Shasta Lake. It scored 40.5 points below standard in English and 45.3 below in math, both Yellow, after gains of 17.2 and 18.0 points. Its math result was close to the state average. Chronic absenteeism was 18.1%, down 2.6 points.
Grand Oaks Elementary School (Gateway Unified)
Grand Oaks, at 5309 Grand Avenue near the civic center, is the district's oldest school; the district says it was built in 1938. It scored 46.7 below standard in English and 45.6 below in math, both Orange, after declines of 7.6 and 3.6 points. Chronic absenteeism was 19.8%.
River Ridge Elementary School (formerly Buckeye School of the Arts)
River Ridge is at 3500 Tamarack Drive in Redding, and the 2025 Dashboard reports it under its former name, Buckeye School of the Arts. In 2024-25 it scored 36.8 below standard in English, Yellow after a 22.9-point gain, and 94.7 below in math, Orange. Chronic absenteeism was 33.6%. The state directory now lists River Ridge for preschool through grade 4, so the 2025 results may reflect a different mix of grades. Treat them as background and ask the school about its current program.
Transitional kindergarten in Gateway Unified
The district offers transitional kindergarten at all of its elementary schools. A child who turns 4 on or before September 1 is placed in TK, and one who turns 5 by that date goes to kindergarten. TK runs the same daily hours as kindergarten and is taught by credentialed teachers.
School choice: charters and transfers
Rocky Point Charter School
Rocky Point Charter, a K-8 school at 3407 Hiatt Drive in Redding, is authorized by Gateway Unified. In 2025 it scored 28.5 below standard in English and 34.2 below in math, both Orange, and its chronic absenteeism of 13.1% was rated Red because it rose 5.2 points. Charter schools enroll by application, not by address.
Charter schools elsewhere in Shasta County
Families in Shasta Lake can also apply to charters run under other districts. Three charters based in Redding scored above the state average in English in 2025: Phoenix Charter Academy College View (22.5 above standard), Shasta View Academy (21.5 above) and Redding School of the Arts (17.1 above). These are listed under Columbia Elementary in the state data. Check how each one delivers instruction, its schedule and how students get there before applying.
Transfers into and within Gateway Unified
Gateway opens registration in January in stages: in the second week, residents of each attendance area; in the third week, families who moved in later, siblings of students already at a school of choice, and intradistrict requests; in the fourth week, families from outside the district. Interdistrict transfers must be approved by both districts, usually last one year, and the district says students on transfers must meet GPA, attendance and behavior requirements and do not get bus service. A denied request can be appealed to the Shasta County Board of Education within 30 days.
College credit and career programs
College Vine dual credit with Shasta College
Gateway's College Vine program runs college courses on the high school campus, taught by subject teachers and chosen with Shasta College. The credits can count toward industry certificates, associate degrees or transfer to a four-year college. Ask Central Valley High which courses run in a given year.
Advanced Placement at Central Valley High
The district lists Advanced Placement courses among its academic programs. AP exams are set by the College Board, and colleges may give credit for high scores. Ask the school for its current AP course list, and read its School Accountability Report Card for course offerings.
How to check which schools serve a Shasta Lake address
Never rely on a listing description or a map pin for school assignment. Boundaries can change, and a listing that names a school is not a guarantee. Use these steps instead.
- Enter the address in Gateway Unified's Find Your School boundary map (linked from the district's Enroll Now page), which shows the school of residence for each grade level.
- Call the school or the district office at (530) 245-7900 to confirm, especially for addresses near the Redding edge of the district.
- Look the school up on the California School Dashboard (caschooldashboard.org) and read its most recent School Accountability Report Card.
- If you want a different school, ask about intradistrict transfers before you buy, and note that transfer students do not get bus service.
School bonds on a Shasta Lake tax bill
Gateway Unified's school bonds are repaid through property tax. The district says voters approved a $22.0 million bond in March 2002 with 61.6% of the vote, and that Measure G, a later $19.0 million bond, was designed to keep the tax rate approved in 2002 and extend it rather than raise it. The bond rates appear as separate lines on each bill; our Shasta County property tax guide shows them by school district, and the Shasta Lake homes guide covers the other local checks.