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Irvine Unified School District Virtual Academy · Irvine

Irvine Unified School District Virtual Academy: High scores, healthy climate, strong attendance. We looked for a catch — we didn't find one.

Irvine Unified School District Virtual Academy posts 52.6% exceeding the standard — versus 21.3% 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.

3700 Chaparral Avenue, 92604 (opens in new tab)·Irvine Unified·Irvine·Grades K-6·58 students·21% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(949) 936-5550·Website
Alternative school — serves students who benefit from a non-traditional educational setting. Scores are not directly comparable to comprehensive schools.
2022–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope7045
% Exceeded53%21%
% Met+71%43%
Growth-2.9
Absence5.7%17.9%
Suspension0.5%1.6%
Scope Score
70
⭐ High Ceiling · Strong
ranked #480 statewide · #14 of 30 in Irvine Unified

Irvine Unified School District Virtual Academy scores 70 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 92nd 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 →

⭐ High Ceiling — 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.

Most rating sites would stop at “71% proficient” and call it done. Irvine Unified School District Virtual Academy deserves a closer read. It sits at the 92nd percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools — but the ranking is the least interesting thing on this page.

The headline number: 52.6% of students scored in the top band on the state test. The California average is 21.3%.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 5,744 elementary schools statewide

Has held the 92nd-percentile line every tested year since 2022.

CA Dashboard
ELABlue(Increased Significantly)MathBlue(Increased Significantly)
ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade2022202320242025
Grade 384%83%76%
Grade 466%70%82%77%
Grade 573%61%81%79%
Grade 680%59%68%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade2022202320242025
Grade 381%75%76%
Grade 466%83%65%77%
Grade 567%42%59%53%
Grade 677%74%64%

The 4 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
52.6%
State 21.3%
31.3pp above state avg
Met or exceeded
71.4%
State 42.7%
28.7pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
5.7%
State 17.9%
12.2pp below state avg
Suspension rate
0.5%
State 1.6%
1.1pp below state avg
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.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 5.7%, district 11.2%, state 17.9%5.7% · −12.2pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 0.5%, district —, state 1.6%0.5% · −1.1pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–60.0%

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
Irvine Unified School District…
70/100
This school

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

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 29:1, district 28:129:1
Teaching staff3 teachers
Avg. experience21.3 years
Fully credentialed89%
Intern / emergency permit0.3%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$59,726 – $137,884
Principal salary$174,996 – $204,036
Superintendent salary$421,400

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $20,304, CA average $14,815$20,304 · spent at this school
Federal share$500 per student

$500 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$16,178 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
Instruction60%
Instruction support13%
Student services12%
Administration3%
Buildings & maintenance10%
Other2%

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$13,060 per pupil
2019$14,414 per pupil
2018$11,451 per pupil
2017$10,962 per pupil
2016$10,874 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic32.8%
District 12.0% · CA 56.1%
Asian25.9%
District 51.2% · CA 10.2%
White19.0%
District 22.7% · CA 19.9%
Other17.2%
District 12.3% · CA 9.0%
Black5.2%
District 1.8% · CA 4.8%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 20.7% (43pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$134K · CA $85K
Median home value$1.06M · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+66% · CA 35%
ZIP population26,491
Median age44 years

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

Worth Knowing

At 58 students, this school is much smaller than the typical California elementary school (≈480).

On the state's science test (CAST), 74% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Irvine Unified School District Virtual Academy a good elementary school?

Irvine Unified School District Virtual Academy has a Scope Score of 70 out of 100, placing it in the 92nd percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #480 statewide. 52.6% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 31.3 percentage points above 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 Irvine Unified School District Virtual Academy's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 71.4% of students at Irvine Unified School District Virtual Academy met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 52.6% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 18.7% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 52.6% 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. 64 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Irvine Unified School District Virtual Academy rank in California?

Irvine Unified School District Virtual Academy ranks #480 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 92nd 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 Irvine Unified School District Virtual Academy?

5.7% of students at Irvine Unified School District Virtual 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 0.5%, 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 Irvine Unified School District Virtual Academy compare to other schools in Irvine?

Irvine Unified School District Virtual Academy scores 70/100 (92nd 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 58 students. Use the schools in Irvine page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.

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%
52.6%
↑ vs CA 21.3% · 80th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
71.4%
↑ vs CA 42.7% · 72th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
5.7%
↑ vs CA 17.9% · 70th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.5%
↑ vs CA 1.6% · 59th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 37
Grade 41354%23%15%8%77%+32
Grade 51963%16%5%16%79%+31
Grade 69
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 37
Grade 41346%31%8%15%77%+35
Grade 51947%5%16%32%53%+17
Grade 69
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/111953%21%16%11%

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

03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Irvine Unified School District Virtual Academy ←7052.6%71.4%0.5%
Santiago Hills Elementary2.1 mi9566.6%86.0%+3.70.7%
Deerfield Elementary0.8 mi8855.7%75.7%+9.10.9%
Orchard Hills3.1 mi8865.2%86.0%+7.01.4%
California average4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20225886#82349.5%72.9%6.1%0.0%-12.6pp
20235378#128644.0%68.9%1.1%0.1%-27.8pp
20246284#90546.6%73.3%4.5%0.4%-6.4pp
20257092#48052.6%71.4%5.7%0.5%
What we can't show
  • — Growth data isn't available — the state needs matched grades across years to compute it.
  • — Subgroup results are suppressed for small student counts (fewer than 15 tested), following CDE privacy rules.
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female0.0%
Male0.0%
Asian0.0%
Hispanic/Latino0.0%
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged0.0%
All Students0.0%
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