Math
87%Grades 3 & 5 · Proficient or Advanced
Charter elementary school
International School for Science and Culture
High scores, healthy climate, strong attendance. We looked for a catch — we didn't find one.
93% of tested students are Proficient or Advanced in English and 87% in math. Explore the evidence alongside the opportunities your child would use.
SchoolScope archetype
High Ceiling
What this means for your family
Ask what happens for a kid who shows up behind — a high ceiling for the top can sit right next to thin support at the bottom, and the score alone won't show you which.
How archetypes are assigned →Data sources · Methodology · State tests: 2025
Contact
English
93%Grades 3 & 5 · Proficient or Advanced
Students
97Total enrollment
Chronic absence
11%Students absent 10% or more of school days
What are you trying to decide?
The overall score is a starting point.
Look at subject results, trends and student groups, then consider the opportunities your child would use.
View school performance →Start with your child’s daily experience.
Explore teaching, coursework and student-group results. A schoolwide average cannot predict an individual experience.
Explore student experience →Confirm the enrollment route.
Check the address, grade and enrollment requirements directly with the district or school.
Check attendance and enrollment →Compare the options you can access.
Use comparable evidence alongside entry requirements, cost and location.
Compare nearby schools →Academic performance
What do the results tell us?
2025 results · Grades 3 & 5 · weighted by students tested within each subject.
Proficient or Advanced combines Levels 3 and 4, formerly Standard Met and Standard Exceeded. California changed the names for 2025–26; the cut scores did not. About the labels →
Share at Proficient or Advanced
● Math┄ English
Gaps in the lines mark years without annual results.
Exact annual results
| Year | Math | English |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 46% | 64% |
| 2023 | 42% | 53% |
| 2024 | 33% | 38% |
| 2025 | 87% | 93% |
Each year describes that year’s tested students. Changes between years do not follow the same children over time. Cohort-growth evidence, when available, is labeled separately below.
How achievement is distributed
AdvancedStandard Exceeded
60%ProficientStandard Met
27%DevelopingStandard Nearly Met
13%MinimalStandard Not Met
0%AdvancedStandard Exceeded
73%ProficientStandard Met
20%DevelopingStandard Nearly Met
7%MinimalStandard Not Met
0%Achievement-level percentages are not percentiles. “Developing” here is a test achievement level, separate from the SchoolScope performance band with the same name.
Annual results and the full academic record
Is it getting better · CAASPP 2022 to 2025
Climbed from the 72nd to the 98th percentile since 2022 — past roughly 1500 elementary schools.
Most rating sites would stop at “80% proficient” and call it done. International School for Science and Culture deserves a closer read. Two in five of its students qualify for free or reduced lunch (California: 64%) — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
The headline number: 62.5% of students scored in the top band on the state test. The California average is 21.4%.
As a charter, International School for Science and Culture enrolls by application rather than address. That changes how you get in, but it doesn't change the score.
51 tested · 2 of 3 grades published · no cohort tracked
International School for Science and Culture scores 80 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 98th percentile of 5,721 California elementary schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).
Percentile among 5,721 elementary schools statewide
ELABlue(Increased Significantly)MathBlue(Increased Significantly)
ShowHide the by-grade tables, year by year
ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
| Grade | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 71% | 47% | 38% | 93% |
| Grade 4 | 41% | — | — | 100% |
| Grade 5 | 56% | 58% | — | — |
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
| Grade | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 62% | — | 33% | 87% |
| Grade 4 | 13% | — | — | 42% |
| Grade 5 | 31% | 42% | — | — |
Where students land · CAASPP 2024–25
Four in five of students here meet the standard. Three in five clear it by a lot.
ELA86% met or exceeded
Exceeded 69%Met 18%Nearly Met 10%Not Met 4%
Math73% met or exceeded
Exceeded 53%Met 20%Nearly Met 24%Not Met 4%
Exceeded Met Nearly Met Not Met
California elementary schools · average21% exceeded · 43% met or exceeded
This school against the California average
2022–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
| Scope | % Exceeded | % Met+ | Growth | Absence | Suspension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 80 | 63% | 80% | — | 11.0% | 0.6% |
| CA average · Elementary School | 39 | 21% | 43% | — | 17.9% | 1.6% |
This schoolCA avg
Scope8039
% Exceeded63%21%
% Met+80%43%
Growth——
Absence11.0%17.9%
Suspension0.6%1.6%
California’s growth results and student groups
State growth model · CDE growth model 2024–25
California's own growth model places it near the 100th percentile of elementary schools.
Context — never part of the Scope Score
California runs its own growth model — it follows individual children in grades 4 through 8 and compares each one against a prediction from their own prior scores. On that measure this school sits well above the middle of California elementary schools in reading and math together. We show it; we don't score it.
— pts vs expected is scale-score points above or below what California's model predicted for these same children from their own prior-year scores. It is not a percentage and not a percent of anything. A typical California elementary school lands at +2 in reading, and the middle half of them fall between −5 and +9 — the spread is wide, so read the rank, not the sign. CDE blends two consecutive years into each published figure, so adjacent years share input data and no year-over-year trend can honestly be drawn from them. It covers grades 4-8 only, and it is not part of the Scope Score — we assessed it and left it out: it tracks school demographics roughly three times as strongly as our own growth measure does, and one published year is not enough to test how stable it is.
California's growth model, ranked against the schools it scores
State model · readingmatched students, grades 4-8California growth model, reading: +87 scale-score points versus the state's expectation, 99th percentile of 7,519 reported schools.99th pctile · +87 pts
State model · mathmatched students, grades 4-8California growth model, math: +75 scale-score points versus the state's expectation, 99th percentile of 7,518 reported schools.99th pctile · +75 pts
this school| the tick is the middle of the California field
Students & opportunity
Who shares in the school’s results?
The daily experience
What is it like to be a student here?
Students per teacher
Student–teacher ratio is a schoolwide staffing measure, not an average class size.
Teacher experience
Average teacher experience in the published staffing record. It does not measure individual teacher effectiveness.
Chronically absent
The share of students absent for at least 10% of their enrolled school days. Attendance reflects both school and out-of-school circumstances.
The people teaching · CDE staffing 2024–25
About 19 students for every teacher here.
Context — never part of the Scope Score
Students per teacher19 · district 23
Teaching staff5 teachers
Avg. experience14.8 years
Fully credentialed100%
PrincipalPadmini Srinivasan
ShowHide what the district pays
Teacher salary schedule$52,803 – $136,867
Principal salary$176,650 – $176,650
Superintendent salary$336,600
Pay is set by the district, not the school.
Attendance & discipline · 2024–25
Kids here show up more, and get suspended less, than the state average.
Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 11.0%, district 14.6%, state 17.9%11.0% · −6.9pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 0.6%, district —, state 1.6%0.6% · −1.0pp vs state
This schoolDistrictCalifornia
Resources & neighborhood
What sits behind the school experience?
Explore school spending and the district budget
What gets spent · FY 2019–20
Its district spends $70,768 per student, more than the California average.
Context — never part of the Scope Score
Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $70,768, CA average $14,491$70,768 · district average
District averageCalifornia
Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction 26%Instruction support 46%Student services 8%Administration 14%Buildings & maintenance 5%
District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.
ShowHide the district's spending year by year
district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$70,768 per pupil
2019$67,286 per pupil
2018$61,708 per pupil
2017$32,576 per pupil
2016$30,374 per pupil
Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →
The neighborhood · ACS 2024
Two in five of students here qualify for free or reduced lunch, versus three in five statewide.
Context — never part of the Scope Score
Worth knowing
At 97 students, this school is much smaller than 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), 64% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 and once in high school, and it never enters the Scope Score.
Hispanic or Latino45.4% · district 48.6% · CA 56.1%
White19.6% · district 22.7% · CA 19.9%
Asian14.4% · district 16.0% · CA 10.2%
Black1.0% · district 2.7% · CA 4.8%
Other19.6% · district 10.0% · CA 9.0%
Free or reduced lunch41.2% · CA 64%
Median income$109K · CA $85K
Median home value$1.13M · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+44% · CA 35%
ZIP population60,393
Median age36 years
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Culture & philosophy
What is the school’s approach?
School-stated approach · questions for your visit
Look beyond the brochure
A source-reviewed culture summary is not available for this profile yet. Ask how teaching, student support and family communication work day to day.
Read the school’s own website ↗Family voices
What would you want another family to know about the daily experience here?
Ask a current family: “When your child needs help, how does the school respond?”
Educator voices
What should families understand about teaching, support and the school community?
Ask an educator: “How do you adapt a typical day for children with different needs?”
Compare nearby schools
What are the alternatives?
Compare schools serving the same grade stage. Private schools have no comparable state-test score.
2025 · elementary schools · combined reading and math measures. Percentiles compare schools within their enrollment group.
No nearby schools in this category are listed. The school being viewed stays visible for reference.
| School | Type | Performance band | Advanced | Proficient or Advanced | Distance | Select |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International School for Science and Culture | Charter | Strong | 63% | 80% | School being viewed | |
| Newport Heights Elementary | Public | Strong | 47% | 74% | 1.8 mi | |
| Maude B. Davis Elementary | Public | Strong | 50% | 76% | 2.6 mi | |
| Harbor View Elementary | Public | Strong | 47% | 78% | 3.0 mi |
More nearby public and private options
Your other options
Your other options
Nearby public schools across grade levels, plus private options within 10 miles.
Private schools do not receive a Scope Score or statewide ranking on SchoolScope.
20 private schools within 10 miles
Not scored
What should I check before applying?
- District public
- Confirm the attendance boundary and any permit options.
- Charter
- Check applications, priorities and deadlines with each school.
- Private
- Confirm admission requirements, tuition and financial aid.
Moving & enrollment
Which schools could serve my child?
Check enrollment with this charter school
Ask the school about applications, priorities and deadlines for your child’s grade.
School website →Schools across the K–12 journey
Elementary · K–5
Middle · 6–8
High school · 9–12
Schools are grouped by grade stage. Nearby schools are not confirmed feeder links or address assignments. Verify the current path and eligibility with the district.
Charter enrollment details
Plan your next step
What should I do next?
Worth a school visit
Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.
- 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.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is International School for Science and Culture a good elementary school?
International School for Science and Culture has a Scope Score of 80 out of 100, placing it in the 98th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #89 statewide. 62.5% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 41.1 percentage points above the California average of 21.4%. The Scope Score weights 6 dimensions for elementary schools: exceeded standard (42%), met or exceeded (proficient) (23%), grade 3-to-5 growth (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 International School for Science and Culture's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 80.4% of students at International School for Science and Culture met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 62.5% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 17.9% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 62.5% went beyond it. Most rating sites report only the combined "proficient" number. SchoolScope surfaces the exceeded-vs-met split because it shows how many students go beyond the standard rather than only meeting it. 54 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does International School for Science and Culture rank in California?
International School for Science and Culture ranks #89 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 98th 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.
What is the attendance and school culture like at International School for Science and Culture?
11.0% of students at International School for Science and Culture are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 0.6%, 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 International School for Science and Culture compare to other schools in Costa Mesa?
International School for Science and Culture scores 80/100 (98th 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 97 students. Use the schools in Costa Mesa page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.
Use the published evidence to prepare questions, then verify fit and access with the school.
Behind the evidence
Inspect the full record
Public sources, visible methods and the underlying school record. Source years and limitations stay attached to the evidence.
How the Scope Score is calculated
On a narrow screen, scroll the table sideways to see the state comparison and weights.
What the score weighs · CAASPP 2024–25
How far the top scorers get carries this score.
62.5% of students scored in the top band on the state test. The California average is 21.4%.
| What we weigh | Here | State | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exceeded standard | 62.5% | 21.4% | 42% |
| Met or exceeded | 80.4% | 42.7% | 23% |
| Chronic absenteeism | 11.0% | 17.9% | 5% |
| Suspension rate | 0.6% | 1.6% | 5% |
Source CAASPP 2025 · California Department of Education. Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How the score is built
A closer look at the evidence
International School for Science and Culture: reading the evidence
International School for Science and Culture posts 62.5% exceeding the standard — versus 21.4% 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.
Subject proficiency describes tested students, while graduation describes a graduating cohort. These figures are not successive stages followed by the same students.
Ask what happens for a kid who shows up behind — a high ceiling for the top can sit right next to thin support at the bottom, and the score alone won't show you which.
Explore the underlying data →Every number: score factors, grades, student groups and downloads
Every number · For the data nerds
Every number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and nearest schools.
International School for Science and Culture is ranked #89 statewide · #1 of 13 in Orange County Department of Education.
01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
| Factor | School | State | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exceeded standard | 62.5% | 21.4% | 42% |
| Met or exceeded | 80.4% | 42.7% | 23% |
| Chronic absenteeism | 11.0% | 17.9% | 5% |
| Suspension rate | 0.6% | 1.6% | 5% |
- Exceeded standard
- ↑ vs CA 21.4% · index 86 · 50 = CA elementary-school midpoint
- Met or exceeded
- ↑ vs CA 42.7% · index 77 · 50 = CA elementary-school midpoint
- Chronic absenteeism
- ↑ vs CA 17.9% · index 61 · 50 = CA elementary-school midpoint · ▼ 6.0pp lower vs 2024
- Suspension rate
- ↑ vs CA 1.6% · index 59 · 50 = CA elementary-school midpoint · ▼ 0.3pp lower vs 2024
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ShowHide table 02 — By grade & subgroup
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 15 | 73% | 20% | 7% | 0% | 93% | +50 |
| Grade 4 | 12 | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% | +55 |
| Grade 5 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 6 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 7 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 8 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 15 | 60% | 27% | 13% | 0% | 87% | +41 |
| Grade 4 | 12 | 17% | 25% | 58% | 0% | 42% | +0 |
| Grade 5 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 6 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 7 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 8 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
We show the grade rows CDE publishes for this school. A missing grade or dash can mean the school does not serve that grade, that we hold no valid result for it, or that the tested group was too small to report. It does not mean zero.
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schoolwide | 14 | 36% | 29% | 29% | 7% |
CAST is tested in grades 5 and 8, then once in grade 10, 11, or 12. This row is the school's all-student aggregate. Not part of the Scope Score.
03Nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score · Grade gap = grade 3 vs grade 5, this year, different students; Cohort growth = one school's returning cohort tracked across grades (mostly, not exactly, the same kids), in scale-score points — that's the measurement the Scope Score weights
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Grade gap | Cohort growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International School for Science and Culture ← | — | 80 | 62.5% | 80.4% | — | — | 0.6% |
| Newport Heights Elementary | 1.8 mi | 70 | 47.4% | 73.7% | +7.8pp | — | 0.7% |
| Maude B. Davis Elementary | 2.6 mi | 66 | 49.7% | 76.4% | −17.1pp | — | 0.3% |
| Harbor View Elementary | 3 mi | 64 | 46.6% | 78.1% | +0.0pp | — | 0.4% |
| California average | — | 39 | 21.4% | 42.7% | −2.9pp | — | 1.6% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
ShowHide table 04 — More measures
| Year | Scope | Pctile | Rank | Exc | Met+ | Absent | Susp | Grade gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 46 | 72 | #1570 | 25.8% | 45.7% | 11.5% | 0.3% | -22.7pp |
| 2023 | 47 | 72 | #1573 | 27.8% | 48.9% | 12.1% | 1.1% | +3.3pp |
| 2024 | 41 | 62 | #2180 | 24.4% | 35.9% | 17.0% | 0.9% | — |
| 2025 | 80 | 98 | #89 | 62.5% | 80.4% | 11.0% | 0.6% | — |
Grade gap = this year's grade 3 vs grade 5 result, two different sets of students, not a trend for any one child — it is not the measurement the Scope Score's growth dimension uses. See §01 above and /methodology#verdicts for the school's actual scored (cohort) growth.
What we can't show
- — Growth data isn't available — the state needs matched grades across years to compute it.
- — No subgroup comparison could be shown for this school this year — either its group sizes fall under CDE's 15-student reporting floor, or district/state comparison data wasn't available for its groups.
- — Scored here as an elementary school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
05California growth model, by student group2025 · scale-score points vs the state's prediction · shown, never scored
ShowHide table 05 — California growth model, by student group
| Group | Reading | n | CDE band | Math | n | CDE band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Students | +87 | 27 | Exceptional | +75 | 27 | Exceptional |
| Hispanic or Latino | +91 | 16 | Exceptional | +80 | 16 | Exceptional |
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | +78 | 16 | Exceptional | +69 | 16 | Exceptional |
| English Learner | +80 | 12 | Exceptional | +100 | 12 | Exceptional |
| English Only | +74 | 12 | not categorised | +49 | 12 | not categorised |
Whole scale-score points above or below what CDE's model predicted for these same children from their own prior-year scores — not a percentage, not a percentile. Statewide a typical school lands near +1 with a spread of about 13 points either side, so read a figure against its group's own typical value, not against zero. Muted rows have fewer than 30 students with a growth score — published by CDE, held back from the narrative sections above because at that size the figure swings about 17 points on its own. “Not categorised” is CDE assigning no band — English Only, Recently Reclassified, and English Learners Only receive a value and no band, for every school in the state. It is not a missing number. Most figures blend two consecutive years, so adjacent published years share input data and no trend line can honestly be drawn across them. A group absent from this table had fewer than 11 students with a growth score and was never published. Grades 4-8 only. None of this enters the Scope Score — it is more strongly correlated with school demographics than our own growth measure, and one published year is not enough to test its reliability.
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EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,721 elementary schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-09-08
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