School Profile · Pasadena
Alma Fuerte Public: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.
Alma Fuerte Public posts 23% meeting the standard and 11.1% exceeding it, against 43% and 21.3% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.
524 Palisade Street, 91001 (opens in new tab)·Los Angeles County Office of Education·Pasadena·Grades K-8·227 students·77% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(626) 204-5265·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
34
📈 On the Rise · Developing
ranked #3,835 statewide · #6 of 6 in Los Angeles County Office of Education
Alma Fuerte Public scores 34 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 33rd percentile of 5,744 California elementary 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 “23% proficient” and call it done. Alma Fuerte Public deserves a closer read. The school sits in Pasadena, where three in four students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
As a charter, Alma Fuerte Public enrolls by application, not address — the score reads the same, the enrollment path doesn't.
The story this school is actually telling
The school, grade by grade
ELA · CAASPP 2024–25Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.
14%
81%
Grade 3 · 19% proficient
9%
13%
78%
Grade 4 · 22% proficient
25%
69%
Grade 5 · 31% proficient
The honest read: the share exceeding rises 20.2pp across grades; the floor rises 12.2pp. The state average rises 4.5pp over the same span. Kids here gain ground the longer they stay — the pattern you want to see. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.
The 5 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
11.1%
State 21.3%
10.3pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
22.8%
State 42.7%
19.8pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
+17.7pp
State -2.9pp
Scores improve across grades
Chronic absenteeism
17.4%
State 17.9%
0.6pp below state avg
Suspension rate
0.3%
State 1.6%
1.3pp below 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.
Estimated K-12 Path
Estimated K-12 path based on district and proximity. Actual attendance zones may differ. Contact your school district for official feeder information.
Planning ahead? 10 licensed preschools near this school →
Your other options
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 73
Paradise Canyon Elementary
La Canada Unified · 3 mi
Strong
82/100
Odyssey Charter
Los Angeles County Office of Education · 2 mi
Solid
68/100
Dahlia Heights Elementary
Los Angeles Unified · 3.1 mi
Solid
68/100
Nearby Middle Schools
2 within ~3 mi · avg 29
Octavia E. Butler Magnet
Pasadena Unified · 0.9 mi
Developing
33/100
Charles W. Eliot Middle
Pasadena Unified · 1.9 mi
Needs Support
24/100
Nearby High Schools
2 within ~3 mi · avg 65
La Canada High
La Canada Unified · 1.6 mi
Strong
84/100
John Muir High
Pasadena Unified · 0.6 mi
Developing
46/100
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic76.7%
White2.2%
Black15.4%
Other5.7%
GenderFemale 44.9%Male 55.1%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 77.1% (13pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
227
393 below CA avg (~620)
Transitional Kindergarten
TK status unconfirmed
No TK enrollment is on file with the state for this school — that isn't the same as “no TK.” Confirm directly with the district.
Student-Teacher Ratio
19:1
2 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$123,399
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
Teacher Salary Range
$58,299 – $115,472
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Alma Fuerte Public in Pasadena, 18.8% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 38.1% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Alma Fuerte Public trails its district average for low-income students by 19.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (9.9% Math proficient); Hispanic students (22.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 6.3 percentage points for low-income students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 101 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Math · Low-Income−7.4pp
6.4% vs 13.9% overall · n=75
3 more gaps by subject
ELA · Low-Income−6.3pp
16.0% vs 22.3% overall · n=75
ELA Exceeded · Hispanic−4.3pp
2.5% vs 6.8% overall · n=75
Math Exceeded · Low-Income−4.9pp
1.0% vs 5.9% overall · n=75
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income101 tested
ELA 18.8%·Math 9.9%· -19.3pp vs district
Hispanic102 tested
ELA 22.5%·Math 11.8%· -28.1pp vs district
Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.
Subgroup Growth by Grade
Change in proficiency from lowest tested grade. Shows which groups are gaining ground.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$135K
$50K above CA median
Median Home Value
$1.14M
$476K above CA median
Bachelor's+
54%
19pp above 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
2.4 years avg experience
12 teachers · 42% first-year
Teacher Credentials
67% fully credentialed
Source: CDE SARC, 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
Exceeded standard · 43%
11.1%
↓ vs CA 21.3% · 40th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
22.8%
↓ vs CA 42.7% · 35th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 15%
+17.7pp
↑ vs CA -2.9pp · 53th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
17.4%
↑ vs CA 17.9% · 51th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.3%
↑ vs CA 1.6% · 61th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 21 | 5% | 14% | 5% | 76% | 19% | −24 |
| Grade 4 | 23 | 9% | 13% | 30% | 48% | 22% | −23 |
| Grade 5 | 16 | 25% | 6% | 38% | 31% | 31% | −17 |
| Grade 6 | 22 | 0% | 18% | 27% | 55% | 18% | −28 |
| Grade 7 | 30 | 3% | 23% | 47% | 27% | 27% | −21 |
| Grade 8 | 18 | 0% | 17% | 33% | 50% | 17% | −29 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 21 | 5% | 10% | 38% | 48% | 14% | −31 |
| Grade 4 | 23 | 4% | 9% | 30% | 57% | 13% | −29 |
| Grade 5 | 16 | 19% | 19% | 25% | 38% | 38% | +2 |
| Grade 6 | 22 | 5% | 5% | 23% | 68% | 9% | −26 |
| Grade 7 | 30 | 3% | 7% | 23% | 67% | 10% | −24 |
| Grade 8 | 18 | 0% | 0% | 28% | 72% | 0% | −32 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 34 | 3% | 12% | 76% | 9% |
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 | 101 | 18.8% | −19 | −19 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 102 | 22.5% | −28 | −16 |
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alma Fuerte Public ← | — | 34 | 11.1% | 22.8% | +17.7 | 0.3% |
| Paradise Canyon Elementary | 3 mi | 82 | 55.1% | 83.7% | +5.9 | 0.4% |
| Odyssey Charter | 2 mi | 68 | 52.3% | 76.4% | −9.2 | 1.2% |
| Dahlia Heights Elementary | 3.1 mi | 68 | 48.2% | 79.2% | −28.5 | 0.1% |
| California average | — | 43 | 21.3% | 42.7% | −2.9 | 1.6% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · rank #5112 → #4368 → #4052 → #3835
What we can't show
- — Scored here as an elementary school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
- — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 19 points in ELA — worth asking how the school is closing that gap.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,744 elementary schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means
Frequently asked questions
Is Alma Fuerte Public a good elementary school?
Alma Fuerte Public has a Scope Score of 34 out of 100, placing it in the 33rd percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #3,835 statewide. 11.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 10.3 percentage points below the California average of 21.3%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for elementary 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 Alma Fuerte Public's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 22.8% of students at Alma Fuerte Public met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 11.1% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 11.8% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 11.1% 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. 120 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Alma Fuerte Public rank in California?
Alma Fuerte Public ranks #3,835 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 33rd percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 3 to grade 5 growth), 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.
Is Alma Fuerte Public getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Alma Fuerte Public increases by 17.7 percentage points from Grade 3 to grade 5 growth. This upward trajectory suggests the school is adding measurable value — students leave with higher proficiency rates than they entered with. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the elementary Scope Score because it measures what the school does, not just who walks in the door.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Alma Fuerte Public?
17.4% of students at Alma Fuerte Public are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 0.3%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. 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 Alma Fuerte Public compare to other schools in Pasadena?
Alma Fuerte Public scores 34/100 (33rd percentile) among California elementary 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 227 students. Use the schools in Pasadena page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.
How does Alma Fuerte Public serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Alma Fuerte Public in Pasadena, 18.8% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 38.1% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Alma Fuerte Public trails its district average for low-income students by 19.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (9.9% Math proficient); Hispanic students (22.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 6.3 percentage points for low-income students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 101 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.