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School Profile · Santa Ana

Edward B. Cole Academy: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.

Edward B. Cole Academy posts low test scores — and suspensions run below the state rate (0.1% vs 1.6%). If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.

333 East Walnut Street, 92701 (opens in new tab)·Santa Ana Unified·Santa Ana·Grades TK-5·431 students·82% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(714) 836-9023·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
30
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #4,774 statewide · #31 of 38 in Santa Ana Unified

Edward B. Cole Academy scores 30 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 17th 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 “30% proficient” and call it done. Edward B. Cole Academy deserves a closer read. The school sits in Santa Ana, where four 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, Edward B. Cole Academy 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 2024–25

Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.

15%
17%
68%
Grade 3 · 32% proficient
22%
13%
65%
Grade 4 · 35% proficient
12%
21%
67%
Grade 5 · 33% proficient

The 5 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
12.8%
State 21.3%
8.5pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
-4.2pp
State -2.9pp
Scores decline across grades
Met or exceeded
29.9%
State 42.7%
12.7pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
24.2%
State 17.9%
6.2pp above state avg
Suspension rate
0.1%
State 1.6%
1.5pp below 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.

K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
Edward B. Cole Academy
30/100
This school
High School
No feeder data available for this level

Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.

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

Hispanic96.5%
White1.6%
Asian0.7%
Other1.2%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 82.4% (19pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
431
Near CA avg (~480)
Transitional Kindergarten
45 TK students
10% of a 431-student campus · CDE Census Day 2025-26
Student-Teacher Ratio
24:1
3 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$15,998
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
Teacher Salary Range
$70,919 – $138,788
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Edward B. Cole Academy in Santa Ana, 33.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 31.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Edward B. Cole Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 2.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (28.4% Math proficient); Hispanic students (32.8% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 17.0 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 176 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Math · English Learner−17.7pp
8.8% vs 26.6% overall · n=107
3 more gaps by subject
ELA · English Learner−17.0pp
16.4% vs 33.3% overall · n=107
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−12.0pp
4.4% vs 16.4% overall · n=107
Math Exceeded · English Learner−7.6pp
1.6% vs 9.2% overall · n=107

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

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income176 tested
ELA 33.5%·Math 28.4%· +2.1pp vs district
Hispanic204 tested
ELA 32.8%·Math 26.5%· +1.0pp vs district
English Learner107 tested
ELA 16.8%·Math 9.3%· +10.4pp 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.

Low-income student ELA proficiency rises by 4.9pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: +8.5pp.

Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 64%Support 32%Other 5%

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

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$71K
$14K below CA median
Median Home Value
$661K
$2K above CA median
Bachelor's+
11%
24pp 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
7.2 years avg experience
19 teachers · 11% first-year · 16% second-year
Teacher Credentials
94% 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 →

Frequently asked questions

Is Edward B. Cole Academy a good elementary school?
Edward B. Cole Academy has a Scope Score of 30 out of 100, placing it in the 17th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #4,774 statewide. 12.8% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 8.5 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 Edward B. Cole Academy's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 29.9% of students at Edward B. Cole Academy met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 12.8% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 17.1% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 12.8% 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. 414 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Edward B. Cole Academy rank in California?
Edward B. Cole Academy ranks #4,774 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 17th 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 Edward B. Cole Academy getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Edward B. Cole Academy decreases by 4.2 percentage points from Grade 3 to grade 5 growth. This downward pattern doesn't necessarily mean the school is failing — it can reflect cohort differences, demographic shifts, or curriculum changes. A campus visit and conversation with teachers can reveal what the numbers can't. 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 Edward B. Cole Academy?
24.2% of students at Edward B. Cole Academy are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 0.1%, 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 Edward B. Cole Academy compare to other schools in Santa Ana?
Edward B. Cole Academy scores 30/100 (17th 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 431 students. Use the schools in Santa Ana page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.
How does Edward B. Cole Academy serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Edward B. Cole Academy in Santa Ana, 33.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 31.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Edward B. Cole Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 2.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (28.4% Math proficient); Hispanic students (32.8% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 17.0 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 176 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 · 38%
12.8%
↓ vs CA 21.3% · 42th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
-4.2pp
↓ vs CA -2.9pp · 30th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
29.9%
↓ vs CA 42.7% · 40th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
24.2%
↓ vs CA 17.9% · 40th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.1%
↑ vs CA 1.6% · 63th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 37115%17%23%45%32%−11
Grade 46822%13%19%46%35%−10
Grade 56812%21%15%53%32%−16
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 37010%20%37%33%30%−16
Grade 46812%16%44%28%28%−14
Grade 5696%16%20%58%22%−14
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11694%14%54%28%

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 Disadvantaged17633.5%+2−5
Hispanic/Latino20432.8%+1−6
English Learners10716.8%+10+6
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Edward B. Cole Academy ←3012.8%29.9%−4.20.1%
Heritage Elementary2.7 mi7047.1%72.0%−0.31.8%
El Sol Santa Ana Science and Arts Academy0.8 mi5316.8%41.0%−3.60.3%
Palmyra GATE Magnet3.1 mi5122.9%46.5%−7.40.3%
California average4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
50%30%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #1853 → #2520 → #3385 → #2909 → #4774
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,744 elementary schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue