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Home Gardens Academy · Corona

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

Home Gardens Academy posts low test scores — and grade 5 tests above grade 3 here this year, by 5.1pp. If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.

13550 Tolton Avenue, 92879 (opens in new tab)·Corona-Norco Unified·Corona·Grades TK-8·961 students·90% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(951) 736-3219·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope3345
% Exceeded10%21%
% Met+26%43%
Growth+5.1-2.9
Absence15.3%17.9%
Suspension2.2%1.6%
Scope Score
33
📈 On the Rise · Developing
ranked #4,345 statewide · #32 of 34 in Corona-Norco Unified

Home Gardens Academy scores 33 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 24th 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 →

📈 On the Rise — Ask how many years the improvement has held, not just the latest one — one strong cohort and a real turnaround can look identical in a single year of data.

Most rating sites would stop at “26% proficient” and call it done. Home Gardens Academy deserves a closer read. The school sits in Corona, 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.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 5,744 elementary schools statewide

Slipped from the 42nd to the 24th percentile since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELAYellow(Declined Significantly)MathOrange(Declined Significantly)

This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 26% meet the standard today, versus 42% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 346%29%29%27%25%
Grade 442%29%30%35%32%
Grade 546%49%43%37%39%
Grade 653%39%38%38%45%
Grade 759%56%33%39%38%
Grade 848%39%51%43%53%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 343%28%28%27%19%
Grade 438%31%23%20%23%
Grade 533%24%27%22%16%
Grade 635%24%35%24%23%
Grade 731%29%28%29%24%
Grade 832%12%17%20%27%

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.

8%
18%
74%
Grade 3 · 26% proficient
16%
15%
69%
Grade 4 · 31% proficient
19%
20%
61%
Grade 5 · 39% proficient

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
10.1%
State 21.3%
11.3pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
+5.1pp
State -2.9pp
Scores improve across grades
Met or exceeded
25.5%
State 42.7%
17.1pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
15.3%
State 17.9%
2.6pp below state avg
Suspension rate
2.2%
State 1.6%
0.6pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
9.4%
State 18.0%
8.6pp 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.

  • 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 Home Gardens Academy in Corona, 35.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 51.1% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Home Gardens Academy trails its district average for low-income students by 16.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (18.3% Math proficient); Hispanic students (38.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 31.9 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 562 students tested.

All students at this school: 30% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 30%, district —, state 43%30%
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 29%, district 40%, state 32%29% · −1 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 27%, district 43%, state 32%27% · −3 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 33%, district 51%, state 44%33% · +3 vs school
MaleMale: this school 27%, district 50%, state 42%27% · −3 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 7%, district 13%, state 11%7% · −24 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 12%, district 18%, state 15%12% · −19 vs school

8 of 15 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group
Subgroup growth by grade

Change in proficiency from the lowest tested grade — which groups gain ground the longer they stay. Groups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Low-income student ELA proficiency rises by 7.8pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: +9.5pp.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 15.3%, district 16.0%, state 17.9%15.3% · −2.6pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 2.2%, district —, state 1.6%2.2% · +0.6pp vs state

TK/K students miss school at roughly one and a half times the rate of Grades 4–6 students (19.4% vs 11.8%). Chronic absence here concentrates in the earliest grades — worth asking how the school works with new families on attendance.

Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–611.8%
Grades 7–818.7%
TK/K19.4%

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
Home Gardens Academy
33/100
This school

Feeder patterns derived from NCES attendance boundary data. Boundaries are approximate and may have changed — verify with your school district for current assignments.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 22:1, district 24:122:1
Teaching staff46 teachers
Avg. experience13.8 years
Fully credentialed98%
First-year teachers7%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$75,444 – $141,046
Principal salary$160,728 – $174,967
Superintendent salary$403,129

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $16,789, CA average $14,815$16,789 · spent at this school
Federal share$403 per student

$403 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$18,974 per student

The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.

Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction65%
Instruction support11%
Student services10%
Administration4%
Buildings & maintenance9%
Other1%

District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.

district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$12,310 per pupil
2019$11,703 per pupil
2018$11,658 per pupil
2017$11,351 per pupil
2016$11,206 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic92.8%
District 52.9% · CA 56.1%
White3.2%
District 20.1% · CA 19.9%
Other2.3%
District 7.6% · CA 9.0%
Black1.0%
District 5.3% · CA 4.8%
Asian0.6%
District 14.1% · CA 10.2%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 89.9% (26pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$92K · CA $85K
Median home value$616K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+24% · CA 35%
ZIP population49,317
Median age37 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level

Worth Knowing

At 961 students, this school is well above the typical California elementary school (≈480).

Transitional kindergarten is offered here — confirmed by actual Census Day enrollment, not just the listed grade span.

On the state's science test (CAST), 23% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Home Gardens Academy a good elementary school?

Home Gardens Academy has a Scope Score of 33 out of 100, placing it in the 24th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #4,345 statewide. 10.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 11.3 percentage points below the California average of 21.3%. The Scope Score weights 6 dimensions for elementary schools: exceeded standard (38%), grade 3-to-5 growth (27%), met or exceeded (proficient) (20%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.

What are Home Gardens Academy's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 25.5% of students at Home Gardens Academy met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 10.1% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 15.5% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 10.1% 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. 627 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Home Gardens Academy rank in California?

Home Gardens Academy ranks #4,345 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 24th 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 Home Gardens Academy getting better or worse?

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Home Gardens Academy increases by 5.1 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 Home Gardens Academy?

15.3% of students at Home Gardens Academy are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 2.2%. 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 Home Gardens Academy compare to other schools in Corona?

Home Gardens Academy scores 33/100 (24th 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 961 students. Use the schools in Corona page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.

How does Home Gardens Academy serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Home Gardens Academy in Corona, 35.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 51.1% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Home Gardens Academy trails its district average for low-income students by 16.0 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (18.3% Math proficient); Hispanic students (38.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 31.9 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 562 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.

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.


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%
10.1%
↓ vs CA 21.3% · 39th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
+5.1pp
↑ vs CA -2.9pp · 45th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
25.5%
↓ vs CA 42.7% · 37th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
15.3%
↑ vs CA 17.9% · 54th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
2.2%
↓ vs CA 1.6% · 45th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
9.4%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 39th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 31148%18%28%46%25%−18
Grade 49816%15%17%51%32%−13
Grade 510119%20%22%40%39%−9
Grade 611114%31%34%21%45%−2
Grade 79712%26%25%37%38%−10
Grade 89816%37%20%27%53%+7
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 31134%14%29%52%19%−27
Grade 4996%17%28%48%23%−18
Grade 51027%9%25%60%16%−20
Grade 611212%12%31%46%23%−12
Grade 7988%16%17%58%24%−9
Grade 8989%17%22%51%27%−6
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/112006%17%58%20%

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 Disadvantaged56235.1%−16−3
Hispanic/Latino57938.1%−11−1
English Learners2057.3%−6−3
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Home Gardens Academy ←3310.1%25.5%+5.12.2%
Susan B. Anthony Elementary2.8 mi6342.6%71.5%+2.30.7%
Lincoln Fundamental Elementary2.1 mi5631.4%58.9%+6.41.6%
Lake Hills Elementary2.3 mi5534.0%65.2%−10.80.5%
California average4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20193942#319317.9%41.5%3.3%2.6%-5.4pp
20223957#244111.7%31.6%32.2%2.4%+7.9pp
20233745#315911.8%30.2%23.0%4.9%+6.2pp
20243736#365411.0%27.8%15.4%5.7%+2.6pp
20253324#434510.1%25.5%15.3%2.2%+5.1pp
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
What we can't show
  • — Scored here as an elementary school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female2.8%13.0%+10.2pp
Male3.7%17.4%+13.7pp
Asian0.0%
Black/African American0.0%36.4%+36.4pp
Hispanic/Latino3.2%15.0%+11.8pp
Students with Disabilities2.9%19.1%+16.2pp
English Learners3.2%12.4%+9.2pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged3.9%16.5%+12.6pp
All Students3.2%15.2%+12.0pp
Filipino14.3%
Homeless43.5%
EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,744 elementary schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

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