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School Profile · Sacramento

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

Higher Learning Academy posts low test scores — and grade 5 tests above grade 3 here this year, by 4.0pp. If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.

900 Grace Avenue, 95838 (opens in new tab)·Twin Rivers Unified·Sacramento·Grades TK-12·519 students·78% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(916) 286-5183·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
13
📈 On the Rise · Needs Support
ranked #5,726 statewide · #35 of 35 in Twin Rivers Unified

Higher Learning Academy scores 13 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 0th 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 “12% proficient” and call it done. Higher Learning Academy deserves a closer read. The school sits in Sacramento, where three in four 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, Higher Learning 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.

96%
Grade 3 · 4% proficient
9%
18%
73%
Grade 4 · 27% proficient
11%
87%
Grade 5 · 13% proficient

The 5 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
2.7%
State 21.3%
18.6pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
+4.0pp
State -2.9pp
Scores improve across grades
Met or exceeded
12.3%
State 42.7%
30.3pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
25.1%
State 17.9%
7.1pp above state avg
Suspension rate
8.8%
State 1.6%
7.2pp 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.

K-12 Path

Higher Learning Academy serves grades K-12 — students can complete their entire K-12 education here.

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

Hispanic39.7%
White12.3%
Asian19.1%
Black16.4%
Other12.5%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 78.2% (14pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
519
681 below CA avg (~1,200)
Transitional Kindergarten
29 TK students
6% of a 501-student campus · CDE Census Day 2025-26
Student-Teacher Ratio
35:1
14 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$15,626
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
Teacher Salary Range
$63,947 – $124,659
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Higher Learning Academy in Sacramento, 19.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 34.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Higher Learning Academy trails its district average for low-income students by 15.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (6.7% Math proficient); Hispanic students (16.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 13.1 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 299 students tested.
Equity Gaps
ELA · English Learner−13.1pp
7.4% vs 20.5% overall · n=100
1 more gap by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−3.9pp
0.0% vs 3.9% overall · n=100

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

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income299 tested
ELA 19.1%·Math 6.7%· -15.9pp vs district
Hispanic133 tested
ELA 16.5%·Math 7.5%· -19.2pp vs district
English Learner100 tested
ELA 7.0%·Math 5.0%· -6.8pp 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 7.0pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: +0.6pp.

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

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 58%Support 37%Other 5%

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

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$68K
$17K below CA median
Median Home Value
$389K
$270K below CA median
Bachelor's+
14%
21pp 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
5.1 years avg experience
17 teachers · 12% first-year · 24% second-year
Teacher Credentials
88% 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 Higher Learning Academy a good elementary school?
Higher Learning Academy has a Scope Score of 13 out of 100, placing it in the 0th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #5,726 statewide. 2.7% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 18.6 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 Higher Learning Academy's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 12.3% of students at Higher Learning Academy met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 2.7% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 9.6% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 2.7% 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. 332 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Higher Learning Academy rank in California?
Higher Learning Academy ranks #5,726 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 0th 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 Higher Learning Academy getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Higher Learning Academy increases by 4.0 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 Higher Learning Academy?
25.1% of students at Higher Learning Academy are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 8.8%. 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 Higher Learning Academy compare to other schools in Sacramento?
Higher Learning Academy scores 13/100 (0th 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 519 students. Use the schools in Sacramento page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.
How does Higher Learning Academy serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Higher Learning Academy in Sacramento, 19.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 34.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Higher Learning Academy trails its district average for low-income students by 15.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (6.7% Math proficient); Hispanic students (16.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 13.1 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 299 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%
2.7%
↓ vs CA 21.3% · 32th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
+4.0pp
↑ vs CA -2.9pp · 21th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
12.3%
↓ vs CA 42.7% · 27th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
25.1%
↓ vs CA 17.9% · 38th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
8.8%
↓ vs CA 1.6% · 0th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 3570%4%23%74%4%−40
Grade 4569%18%29%45%27%−18
Grade 5532%11%17%70%13%−35
Grade 6583%12%26%59%16%−31
Grade 7562%25%23%50%27%−21
Grade 8547%30%26%37%37%−9
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 3570%4%21%75%4%−42
Grade 4564%21%41%34%25%−17
Grade 5532%0%23%75%2%−33
Grade 6580%9%16%76%9%−26
Grade 7560%4%21%75%4%−30
Grade 8542%2%20%76%4%−29
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/111070%8%61%31%

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 Disadvantaged29919.1%−16−19
Hispanic/Latino13316.5%−19−22
English Learners1007.0%−7−3
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Higher Learning Academy ←132.7%12.3%+4.08.8%
Heritage Peak Charter2.7 mi5217.5%38.8%+7.10.1%
Westside Elementary2.8 mi4219.0%40.9%−12.54.1%
Dry Creek Elementary2 mi3920.3%44.6%−13.94.2%
California average4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
23%13%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #5181 → #5240 → #5485 → #5382 → #5726
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