Connections Visual and Performing Arts Academy: High scores, healthy climate, strong attendance. We looked for a catch — we didn't find one.
Connections Visual and Performing Arts Academy posts 38.0% exceeding the standard — versus 15.8% statewide — with climate numbers better than most. That doesn't make it perfect. It makes it worth a visit to find what numbers can't measure.
| Scope | % Exceeded | % Met+ | Grad rate | College readiness | Absence | Suspension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 59 | 38% | 62% | 96.8% | 34.8% | 28.9% | 4.4% |
| CA average · High School | 44 | 16% | 36% | 87.6% | 35.4% | 30.2% | 3.6% |
Connections Visual and Performing Arts Academy scores 59 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 83rd 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 →
🌱 Building Momentum — This label means the data doesn't clearly sort the school one way or the other — ask what the school is proud of, and what it's working on.
Most rating sites would stop at “62% proficient” and call it done. Connections Visual and Performing Arts Academy deserves a closer read. The school sits in Tuolumne, where one in four students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
The headline number: 38.0% of students scored in the top band on the state test. The California average is 15.8%.
As a charter, Connections Visual and Performing Arts Academy enrolls by application rather than address. That changes how you get in, but it doesn't change the score.
The seven-year arc
Has held the 83rd-percentile line every tested year since 2019.
Proficiency here is back to its pre-pandemic level — 62% meet the standard, about where the school stood in 2019.
| Grade | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 7 | — | — | 62% | — | 82% |
| Grade 8 | 86% | 41% | 67% | 60% | 85% |
| Grade 11 | 80% | 63% | 74% | 83% | 88% |
| Grade | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 7 | — | — | 54% | — | 73% |
| Grade 8 | — | 35% | 47% | 60% | 46% |
| Grade 11 | 39% | 47% | 35% | 53% | 36% |
The story this school is actually telling
Of 100 students here: 62 are proficient by 11th grade → 97 graduate → 35 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.
The 6 things our score weighs
Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.
- Ask what share of students complete the full college-prep course sequence, and who gets steered into it.
- Ask whether the tour can step into a working classroom — watch how the teacher handles a student who's stuck.
- Ask to tour while school's in session, and notice how hallways and transitions feel — culture shows up between classes, not just in them.
- Ask how the school communicates with families when a child starts to struggle.
- Ask what a typical day looks like for a new student in the first few weeks.
How every group of students does here
At Connections Visual and Performing Arts Academy in Tuolumne, 93.3% of white students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 71.7% district-wide and 61.8% statewide. Connections Visual and Performing Arts Academy outperforms its district average for white students by 21.6 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: White students (46.7% Math proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 15 students tested.
6 of 10 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.
Showing up, and staying in class
Where the path goes
The path below is estimated from nearby schools in the same district — scores shown for each next step.
Estimated K-12 path based on district and proximity. Actual attendance zones may differ. Contact your school district for official feeder information.
The people teaching here
Pay is set by the district, not the school.
What gets spent here
These measure different things: this figure is spending attributed to this campus, while district-wide figures also include central administration, districtwide programs, and the state's pension contributions made on the district's behalf — costs that never get assigned to a single school. The district number runs higher at nearly every school, not just this one.
The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.
District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.
Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →
The neighborhood it serves
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
At 117 students, this school is much smaller than the typical California high school (≈1450).
On the state's science test (CAST), 50% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.
Frequently asked questions
Is Connections Visual and Performing Arts Academy a good high school?
What are Connections Visual and Performing Arts Academy's CAASPP test scores?
How does Connections Visual and Performing Arts Academy rank in California?
What is the attendance and school culture like at Connections Visual and Performing Arts Academy?
How does Connections Visual and Performing Arts Academy compare to other schools in Tuolumne?
How does Connections Visual and Performing Arts Academy serve low-income and underrepresented students?
Your other options
Nearby Elementary Schools
2 within ~3 mi · avg 35
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
Every number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 7 | 11 | 27% | 55% | 18% | 0% | 82% | +34 |
| Grade 8 | 13 | 31% | 54% | 15% | 0% | 85% | +39 |
| Grade 11 | 25 | 64% | 24% | 4% | 8% | 88% | +41 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 7 | 11 | 36% | 36% | 18% | 9% | 73% | +39 |
| Grade 8 | 13 | 23% | 23% | 15% | 38% | 46% | +14 |
| Grade 11 | 25 | 12% | 24% | 36% | 28% | 36% | +13 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 38 | 18% | 32% | 47% | 3% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 15 | 93.3% | +22 | +32 |
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connections Visual and Performing Arts Academy ← | — | 59 | 38.0% | 62.0% | — | 4.4% |
| Summerville High | 0 mi | 46 | 18.1% | 50.0% | — | 6.8% |
| California average | — | 44 | 15.8% | 35.7% | — | 3.6% |
| Year | Scope | Pctile | Rank | Exc | Met+ | Absent | Susp | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 59 | 79 | #429 | 27.6% | 59.6% | 5.5% | 1.1% | — |
| 2022 | 51 | 71 | #600 | 16.7% | 55.0% | 34.7% | 3.1% | — |
| 2023 | 54 | 75 | #533 | 22.1% | 54.4% | 25.7% | 1.3% | — |
| 2024 | 61 | 86 | #307 | 35.0% | 68.3% | 23.5% | 1.4% | — |
| 2025 | 59 | 83 | #372 | 38.0% | 62.0% | 28.9% | 4.4% | — |
| Group | 2019 | 2025 | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 0.0% | 25.6% | +25.6pp |
| Male | 0.0% | 31.4% | +31.4pp |
| Hispanic/Latino | 0.0% | 34.6% | +34.6pp |
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 0.0% | 32.5% | +32.5pp |
| All Students | 0.0% | 27.3% | +27.3pp |
SchoolScope scores and verdicts are our interpretation of public California Department of Education data — independent analysis, not an official rating. How we analyze · Request a correction