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Mountain View News Saturday, December 27, 2025 
EDUCATION AND YOUTH 66 
Mountain View News Saturday, December 27, 2025 
EDUCATION AND YOUTH 
IDENTIFYING THE MOST AFFORDABLE COLLEGES 
FOR REAL-WORLD STUDENTS 

SCHOOL DIRECTORY 

College rankings headlines are often dominated by the same names: Ivy Leagues, elite research 
universities and schools that admit only a fraction of applicants. But that leaves out most students, 
say experts. 

“The average GPA across all U.S. high schools is 3.0, according to the College Board. For these 
everyday students, and for families earning an average income between $50,000-$150,000 – the 
journey to higher education should be about finding a college they can both attend and afford 
with confidence,” says William Staib, co-founder and president of College Raptor, Citizens college 
planning platform. 

That’s why this year, College Raptor is reframing the conversation with its 2026 list of the 25 Most 
Affordable Great Colleges for “B” Students. Prioritizing possibility over prestige, the list highlights 
institutions that provide both quality and affordability for the students and families who 
represent the national average, giving a real, unbiased look at the accessible pathways to higher 
education often left out of traditional rankings. 

To draw up the list, Raptor leveraged insights from hundreds of colleges, millions of machine 
learning models and other publicly available data to evaluate academics, student success, faculty 
quality, campus resources and financial health. Every institution on the list is considered a match 
or safety for “B” students, with an average acceptance rate of 74%. Graduates of these institutions 
with B academics and $50,000-150,000 financial profiles would pay on average less than 9% 
of their income towards student debt. That’s more than 20% less than other four-year colleges 
that are most likely to accept “B” students. Plus, each school ranks in the top half of accredited 
four-year institutions nationwide, demonstrating that affordability doesn’t mean sacrificing 
excellence. 

To truly assess the value a school provides, parents and college-bound students should not only 
think about the next four years ahead, but well into the future. They can use the list to calculate 
their return on investment, as schools are ranked by loan payment as a percentage of typical 
starting salary, tying affordability directly to earning potential. This metric represents the estimated 
percentage of a student’s expected starting monthly income that would be required to 
repay their projected student loans within 10 years. It communicates the proportion of monthlyincome taken up by loan repayment. 

This resource can be accessed online by visiting collegeraptor.com. There you can also find lists 
for the 2026 Overall Best Colleges, Top Division II Schools, Top Division III Schools and Best 
HBCUs. 

“For students with a solid ‘B’ grade average and families in middle-income brackets, expanding 
the definition of ‘dream school’ to include attainable options that align with family income, 
grades and additional factors can help more students arrive at college with confidence,” saysStaib. 

Statepoint 2025 


Alverno Heights Academy

200 N. Michillinda Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 
(626) 355-3463Head of School: Joanne Harabedian 
E-mail address: 
jharabedian@alvernoheights.org 

Arcadia Christian School 

1900 S. Santa Anita Avenue 
Arcadia, CA 91006 
Preschool - TK - 8th Grade 
626-574-8229/626-574-0805Email:inquiry@acslions.comPrincipal: Cindy Harmonwebsite: www.acslions.com 

Arcadia High School

180 Campus Drive Arcadia, CA 91007Phone: (626) 821-8370, Principal: Brent Forseebforsee@ausd.net 

Arroyo Pacific Academy

41 W. Santa Clara St. Arcadia, Ca,

(626) 294-0661 Principal: Phil ClarkeE-mail address: pclarke@arroyopacific.org 
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary School

Ms. Rose Navarro, Principal2660 East Orange Grove Blvd.
Pasadena, Ca 91107 
626-793-2089 
https://school.abvmpasadena.org/ 

Barnhart School 

240 W. Colorado Blvd Arcadia, Ca. 91007 
(626) 446-5588Head of School: Tonya BeilsteinKindergarten - 8th gradewebsite: www.barnhartschool.org 

Bethany Christian School

93 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 
(626) 355-3527Preschool-TK-8th Grade 
Principal: Jonathan Haweswebsite: www. bcslions.org 

Clairbourn School 

8400 Huntington DriveSan Gabriel, CA 91775 
Phone: 626-286-3108 ext. 172 
FAX: 626-286-1528 
E-mail: jhawes@clairbourn.org 

Foothill Oaks Academy

822 E. Bradbourne Ave., Duarte, CA 91010 
(626) 301-9809Principal: Nancy Lopezwww.foothilloaksacademy.orgoffice@foothilloaksacademy.org 

Frostig School

971 N. Altadena Drive Pasadena, CA 91107(626) 791-1255Head of School: Jenny Janetzke 
Email: jenny@frostig.org 

The Gooden School 

192 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 
(626) 355-2410Head of School, Jo-Anne Woolnerwebsite: www.goodenschool.org 

Holy Angels School

PK-8th Grade 
360 Campus DriveArcadia, CA 91007626-447-6312 
office@holyangelsarcadia.orgPrincipal: Aimee Dyrekholyangelsarcadia.net 

SUBMIT YOUR ENTRIES TO 
THE MARTIN LUTHER KING 
JR. ESSAY AND VISUAL ARTS 
CONTESTS AND WIN PRIZES!! 

2026 Contest Theme Is: “Resilience and 
Renewal: Social Justice, Equality, and 
Community Empowerment” 

As we enter 2026, we reflect on the vision 
conveyed by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther KingJr. in his “I Have a Dream” speech given 
August 28, 1963, during the March on 
Washington. More importantly, we should 
analyze that vision, while thinking about 
the current state of our society. Giving emphasis 
to racial integration, war, poverty, 
and economic and employment inequalities, 
we must ask ourselves, “Are we living 
the dream and what are we doing to helpbring it to fruition? 

In his book Where Do We Go From Here: 
Chaos or Community Dr. Martin Luther 
King Jr. states, “In any social revolution, 
there are times when the tailwinds of triumph 
and fulfillment favor us, and other 
times when strong headwinds of disappointment 
and setbacks beat against us 
relentlessly. We must not permit adverse 
wins to overwhelm us as we journey across 
life, mighty Atlantic; we must be sustained 
by our entrance of courage in spite of the 

High Point Academy

1720 Kinneloa Canyon RoadPasadena, Ca. 91107 
Head of School: Gary Stern 626-798-8989 
website: www.highpointacademy.org 

La Salle College Preparatory

3880 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Pasadena, Ca. 

(626) 351-8951 website: www.lasallehs.orgPrincipal Ernest Siy 
Monrovia High School

325 East Huntington Drive, Monrovia, CA91016 

(626) 471-2800 Principal Darvin JacksonEmail: schools@monrovia.k12.ca.us 
Odyssey Charter School

725 W. Altadena Dr. Altadena, Ca. 91001

(626) 229-0993 Head of School: Lauren O’Neillwebsite: www.odysseycharterschool.org 
Pasadena High School

2925 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Pasadena, Ca. 

(626) 396-5880 Principal: Dr. Eric Barba 
website: http://phs.pusd.us 
St. Rita Catholic School 

322 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024Principal: Jon McMaster (626) 355-6114mcmaster@st-ritaschool.orgWebsite: www.st-ritaschool.org 

Sierra Madre Elementary School

141 W. Highland Ave, Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 
(626) 355-1428Principal: Dr. Jodi MarchessoE-mail address: marchesso.jodi@pusd.us 

Sierra Madre Middle School 

160 N. Canon Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

(626) 836-2947 Principal: Garrett NewsomE-mail address: newsom.garrett@pusd.us 
Walden School 

74 S San Gabriel Blvd 
Pasadena, CA 91107 (626) 792-6166www.waldenschool.net 

Weizmann Day School

1434 N. Altadena Dr. Pasadena, Ca. 91107(626) 797-0204Lisa Feldman: Head of School 

Wilson Middle School 

300 S. Madre St. Pasadena, Ca. 91107 

(626) 449-7390 Principal: Ruth EsselnE-mail address: resseln@pusd.us 
Pasadena Unified School District 

351 S. Hudson Ave., Pasadena, Ca. 91109

(626) 396-3600 Website: www.pusd@pusd.us 
Arcadia Unified School District 

234 Campus Dr., Arcadia, Ca. 91007 

(626) 821-8300 Website: www.ausd.net 
Monrovia Unified School District 

325 E. Huntington Dr., Monrovia, Ca. 91016 
(626) 471-2000Website: www.monroviaschools.net 

Duarte Unified School District 

1620 Huntington Dr., Duarte, Ca. 91010 
(626)599-5000Website: www.duarte.k12.ca.us 

winds. This refusal to be stopped, this 
'courage to be,' thisdetermination to go on 'in spite of ' is the 
hallmark of any great movement.” 

“Resilience and Renewal: Social 
Justice, Equality, and CommunityEmpowerment” 

This theme recognizes Dr. King's commitment 
to nonviolent action in pursuit 
of justice and equality. It's a call to action 
to protect the values that elevate humanity, 
and to work together to 
ensure freedom, justice, and democracy 
are safeguarded. 

Your submission should reflect ways to recover 
quickly from difficulties, trials and 
tribulations and respond to the challenges 
facing the country today, e.g. wildfire, immigration, 
threats to democracy, in line 
with the writing of Martin Luther King. 

All in Grades 4th through 12th may Enter 
All submissions are due to the Pasadena 
MLK by: Friday, December 8, 2025 

The event will take place Monday,
January 19, 2026 at 

John Muir High School AuditoriumPasadena, California 91103 


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com