School Profile · Helendale
Academy of Careers and Exploration: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.
Academy of Careers and Exploration posts 30% meeting the standard and 11.3% exceeding it, against 36% and 15.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.
13943 Rivers Edge Road, 92342 (opens in new tab)·Helendale Elementary·Helendale·Grades 7-12·285 students·45% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(760) 952-1266·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
49
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #837 statewide · #4 of 6 in Helendale Elementary
Academy of Careers and Exploration scores 49 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 61st percentile of 2,160 California high schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).
Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →
Most rating sites would stop at “30% proficient” and call it done. Academy of Careers and Exploration deserves a closer read. The school sits in Helendale, where two in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
As a charter, Academy of Careers and Exploration enrolls by application, not address — the score reads the same, the enrollment path doesn't.
The story this school is actually telling
Proficient by 11th grade
30%
State 36%
Graduate
97%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
65%
State 35%
Of 100 students here: 30 are proficient by 11th grade → 97 graduate → 65 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.
The 6 things our score weighs
Graduation rate
96.7%
State 87.6%
9.1pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
11.3%
State 15.8%
4.5pp below state avg
College readiness
65.0%
State 35.4%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
29.6%
State 35.7%
6.1pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
22.2%
State 30.2%
8.0pp below state avg
Suspension rate
5.5%
State 3.6%
1.9pp above state avg
Worth a school visit
Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
▼
High School
Academy of Careers and Explora…
49/100
This school
Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.
Your other options
Nearby Elementary Schools
2 within ~3 mi · avg 29
Helendale Elementary
Helendale Elementary · 1.8 mi
Developing
40/100
Independence Charter Academy
Helendale Elementary · 1.8 mi
Needs Support
17/100
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic52.6%
White33.7%
Asian1.4%
Black6.0%
Other6.3%
GenderFemale 45.6%Male 54.4%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 45.3% (19pp below CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
285
1,165 below CA avg (~1,450)
Student-Teacher Ratio
20:1
1 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$17,758
District avg: $11,199 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
Teacher Salary Range
$52,126 – $135,696
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Academy of Careers and Exploration in Helendale, 17.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 29.8% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Academy of Careers and Exploration trails its district average for low-income students by 12.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (17.4% Math proficient); Hispanic students (31.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 17.0 percentage points for low-income students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 23 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Disabilities+6.4pp
28.6% vs 22.2% overall · n=35
Suspension · Homeless+11.9pp
17.4% vs 5.5% overall · n=23
ELA · Low-Income−17.0pp
17.4% vs 34.4% overall · n=23
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · Low-Income−9.2pp
4.3% vs 13.5% overall · n=23
Math · Low-Income−4.5pp
17.4% vs 21.9% overall · n=23
Math Exceeded · Low-Income−3.5pp
4.3% vs 7.9% overall · n=23
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income23 tested
ELA 17.4%·Math 17.4%· -12.4pp vs district
Hispanic33 tested
ELA 31.3%·Math 21.2%· -2.5pp vs district
White17 tested
ELA 47.1%·Math 23.5%· +2.9pp vs district
Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$115K
$30K above CA median
Median Home Value
$379K
$280K below CA median
Bachelor's+
24%
11pp below CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
12.0 years avg experience
23 teachers · 4% first-year · 4% second-year
Teacher Credentials
82% fully credentialed
AP Courses Offered
3 AP courses
13 students qualified via AP exam
Sources: CDE SARC · CDE College/Career Indicator, 2024-25
Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →
For the data nerdsEvery number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
For the data nerds
Every number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Graduation rate · 25%
96.7%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 61th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
11.3%
↓ vs CA 15.8% · 45th pctile
College readiness · 20%
65.0%
↑ vs CA 35.4% · 67th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
29.6%
↓ vs CA 35.7% · 46th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
22.2%
↑ vs CA 30.2% · 56th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
5.5%
↓ vs CA 3.6% · 41th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 7 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 8 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 11 | 57 | 14% | 23% | 28% | 35% | 37% | −10 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 7 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 8 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 11 | 58 | 9% | 14% | 17% | 60% | 22% | −1 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 65 | 3% | 18% | 62% | 17% |
CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.
| Subgroup · ELA | Tested | MET+ | vs district | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 23 | 17.4% | −12 | −21 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 32 | 31.3% | −3 | −8 |
| White | 17 | 47.1% | +3 | −15 |
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy of Careers and Exploration ← | — | 49 | 11.3% | 29.6% | — | 5.5% |
| California average | — | 44 | 15.8% | 35.7% | — | 3.6% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
96.7%
AP Exam Prepared
65.0%
A-G Completion
12.1%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
61.7%
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #532 → #776 → #827 → #695 → #837
What we can't show
- — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 21 points in ELA — worth asking how the school is closing that gap.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,160 high schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
Frequently asked questions
Is Academy of Careers and Exploration a good high school?
Academy of Careers and Exploration has a Scope Score of 49 out of 100, placing it in the 61st percentile of California high schools and ranked #837 statewide. 11.3% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 4.5 percentage points below the California average of 15.8%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for high schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Academy of Careers and Exploration's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 29.6% of students at Academy of Careers and Exploration met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 11.3% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 18.3% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 11.3% pushed past it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it reveals whether a school's curriculum challenges students beyond minimum proficiency or paces toward it. 115 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Academy of Careers and Exploration rank in California?
Academy of Careers and Exploration ranks #837 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 61st percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), chronic absenteeism, and suspension rate. Unlike single-number ratings, the Scope Score shows what drives the ranking so parents can decide what matters most to their family. See full methodology.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Academy of Careers and Exploration?
22.2% of students at Academy of Careers and Exploration are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 30.2%. The suspension rate is 5.5%. SchoolScope includes these culture metrics in the Scope Score because they reflect day-to-day school experience in ways test scores alone cannot.
How does Academy of Careers and Exploration compare to other schools in Helendale?
Academy of Careers and Exploration scores 49/100 (61st percentile) among California high schools. To compare with nearby schools, SchoolScope shows the same metrics side by side: exceeded rate, proficiency, growth trajectory, and school culture indicators. The school serves 285 students. Use the schools in Helendale page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does Academy of Careers and Exploration serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Academy of Careers and Exploration in Helendale, 17.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 29.8% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Academy of Careers and Exploration trails its district average for low-income students by 12.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (17.4% Math proficient); Hispanic students (31.3% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 17.0 percentage points for low-income students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 23 students tested. SchoolScope shows disaggregated test scores by demographic subgroup so you can see how a school performs for your child's specific group — not just the school-wide average. Subgroup data is context, not part of the Scope Score: we don't penalize schools for who they serve. See our equity approach.