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School Profile · East Palo Alto

East Palo Alto Academy: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.

East Palo Alto Academy posts low test scores — and attendance holds near the state average — families haven't checked out. If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.

1050 Myrtle Street, 94303 (opens in new tab)·Sequoia Union High·East Palo Alto·Grades 9-12·278 students·63% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(650) 893-8900·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
29
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #1,695 statewide · #8 of 9 in Sequoia Union High

East Palo Alto Academy scores 29 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 22nd 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 “22% proficient” and call it done. East Palo Alto Academy deserves a closer read. The school sits in East Palo Alto, where three in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

Test scores are one lens, and at this school they're a rough one right now. The sections below show the fuller picture — including the parts that are working.

As a charter, East Palo Alto Academy enrolls by application, not address — the score reads the same, the enrollment path doesn't.

The 4 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
4.2%
State 15.8%
11.6pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
21.9%
State 35.7%
13.8pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
31.9%
State 30.2%
1.7pp above state avg
Suspension rate
7.2%
State 3.6%
3.6pp above state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what changed in the last two years, and what the school is asking families for. Growth shows up in these numbers a year or two after it shows up in classrooms.

Where the path goes

The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.

Your other options

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 Score

Student demographics

Hispanic90.3%
White0.7%
Asian0.4%
Black2.5%
Other6.1%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 63.3% (0pp below CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
278
1,172 below CA avg (~1,450)
Student-Teacher Ratio
13:1
8 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$20,527
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
Teacher Salary Range
$86,466 – $160,056
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At East Palo Alto Academy in East Palo Alto, 33.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 37.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. East Palo Alto Academy trails its district average for low-income students by 3.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (3.4% Math proficient); Hispanic students (40.9% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 22.8 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 59 students tested.
Equity Gaps
ELA · English Learner−22.8pp
16.7% vs 39.4% overall · n=30
1 more gap by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−8.4pp
0.0% vs 8.4% overall · n=30

Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income59 tested
ELA 33.9%·Math 3.4%· -3.1pp vs district
Hispanic66 tested
ELA 40.9%·Math 4.6%· -1.5pp vs district
English Learner30 tested
ELA 16.7%·Math 3.5%· +13.6pp vs district

Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 57%Support 42%Other 1%

Source: NCES F-33 (2019–2020) · Full district breakdown →

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$152K
$67K above CA median
Median Home Value
$1.83M
$1.17M above CA median
Bachelor's+
49%
14pp 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
11.8 years avg experience
25 teachers · 4% first-year
Teacher Credentials
90% fully credentialed
AP Courses Offered
4 AP courses
24 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 →

Frequently asked questions

Is East Palo Alto Academy a good high school?
East Palo Alto Academy has a Scope Score of 29 out of 100, placing it in the 22nd percentile of California high schools and ranked #1,695 statewide. 4.2% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 11.6 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 East Palo Alto Academy's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 21.9% of students at East Palo Alto Academy met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 4.2% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 17.7% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 4.2% 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. 141 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does East Palo Alto Academy rank in California?
East Palo Alto Academy ranks #1,695 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 22nd 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 East Palo Alto Academy?
31.9% of students at East Palo Alto Academy are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 30.2%. The suspension rate is 7.2%. 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 East Palo Alto Academy compare to other schools in East Palo Alto?
East Palo Alto Academy scores 29/100 (22nd 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 278 students. Use the schools in East Palo Alto page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does East Palo Alto Academy serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At East Palo Alto Academy in East Palo Alto, 33.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 37.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. East Palo Alto Academy trails its district average for low-income students by 3.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (3.4% Math proficient); Hispanic students (40.9% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 22.8 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 59 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.

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 · 22%
4.2%
↓ vs CA 15.8% · 38th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
21.9%
↓ vs CA 35.7% · 40th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
31.9%
↓ vs CA 30.2% · 49th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
7.2%
↓ vs CA 3.6% · 34th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 11718%31%21%39%39%−8
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 11700%4%23%73%4%−19
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11750%9%79%12%

CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged5933.9%−3−4
Hispanic/Latino6640.9%−2+2
English Learners3016.7%+14+6
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
East Palo Alto Academy ←294.2%21.9%7.2%
Palo Alto High2.3 mi8055.0%74.8%1.3%
KIPP Esperanza High0.3 mi4116.3%40.0%9.0%
Oxford Day Academy0.4 mi293.1%12.1%2.6%
California average4415.8%35.7%3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
AP Exam Prepared
Not offered
This school may not offer AP courses
Scope Score history
36%29%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #1401 → #1782 → #1531 → #1546 → #1695
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,160 high schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue