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La Sierra High · Riverside

La Sierra High: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.

La Sierra posts 35% meeting the standard and 12.6% exceeding it, against 36% and 15.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

4145 La Sierra Avenue, 92505 (opens in new tab)·Alvord Unified·Riverside·Grades 9-12·1,514 students·88% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(909) 358-1725·Website
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope4744
% Exceeded13%16%
% Met+35%36%
Grad rate95.7%86.6%
College readiness51.9%33.9%
Absence27.3%30.2%
Suspension4.6%3.6%
Scope Score
47
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #952 statewide · #2 of 5 in Alvord Unified

La Sierra High scores 47 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 56th percentile of 2,160 California high schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

Measures test performance, attendance, and climate — not arts, community, or your kid. How we score →

🌱 Building Momentum — This label means the data doesn't clearly sort the school one way or the other — ask what the school is proud of, and what it's working on.

Most rating sites would stop at “35% proficient” and call it done. La Sierra deserves a closer read. The school sits in Riverside, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

La Sierra's low-income kids hit 49.1% proficiency in ELA — a number the same group reaches at 38.2% statewide. If you're trying to read past zip-code-driven test scores, that's the signal worth weighing.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 2,160 high schools statewide

Has stayed near the 56th percentile since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELAGreen(Increased Significantly)MathBlue(Increased Significantly)

Proficiency here is back to its pre-pandemic level — 35% meet the standard, about where the school stood in 2019.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1148%39%44%51%51%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1124%15%18%13%18%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
35%
State 36%
Graduate
96%
State 87%
Pass an AP exam
52%
State 34%

Of 100 students here: 35 are proficient by 11th grade → 96 graduate → 52 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

49.1%
Low-income · ELA · met standard

La Sierra's most underrated number

49.1% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide. That's the strongest kind of signal a school can post: it holds across income lines.

La Sierra low-income: 49.1%State low-income: 38.2%La Sierra EL: 7.5%State EL: 10.4%

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
95.7%
State 86.6%
9.1pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
12.6%
State 15.8%
3.2pp below state avg
College readiness
51.9%
State 33.9%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
34.6%
State 35.7%
1.1pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
27.3%
State 30.2%
2.9pp below state avg
Suspension rate
4.6%
State 3.6%
0.9pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
11.2%
State 18.0%
6.8pp 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 extra support — tutoring, counseling, small groups — reaches kids across income lines, not just the students already ahead.
  • 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 La Sierra High in Riverside, 49.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 35.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. La Sierra High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 14.2 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (16.9% Math proficient); Hispanic students (48.6% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 43.3 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 344 students tested.

All students at this school: 35% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 35%, district —, state 36%35%
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 33%, district 28%, state 32%33% · −2 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 32%, district 28%, state 32%32% · −3 vs school
MaleMale: this school 31%, district 31%, state 42%31% · −4 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 39%, district 31%, state 44%39% · +4 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 5%, district 7%, state 11%5% · −30 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 5%, district 7%, state 15%5% · −29 vs school
HomelessHomeless: this school 19%, district 20%, state 22%19% · −16 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 48%, district 43%, state 56%48% · +14 vs school
Black/African AmericanBlack/African American: this school 17%, district 28%, state 26%17% · −18 vs school
AsianAsian: this school 75%, district 64%, state 72%75% · +40 vs school

6 of 17 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group
AP access · 2020-21 federal civil rights snapshot (structural, dated — newest published; biennial)
Shown, never scored

In the 2020-21 federal collection — the newest there is — English learners students were 25% of La Sierra's enrollment but 6% of its AP seats; ask the school what's changed since.

Hispanic75.3% AP · 79.9% enroll.
American Indian/Alaska Native0.3% AP · 0.2% enroll.
Asian10.0% AP · 6.1% enroll.
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander0.3% AP · 0.2% enroll.
Black2.7% AP · 3.1% enroll.
White9.4% AP · 8.9% enroll.
Two or more races2.0% AP · 1.6% enroll.
English learners6.0% AP · 25.1% enroll.
Students with disabilities1.7% AP · 15.7% enroll.

● share of AP enrollment vs share of total enrollment, this school only · not part of the Scope Score

Data source: U.S. Dept. of Education Office for Civil Rights, Civil Rights Data Collection, 2020-21 (biennial; newest published)

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 27.3%, district 24.0%, state 30.2%27.3% · −2.9pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 4.6%, district —, state 3.6%4.6% · +0.9pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1227.1%

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path

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

Where graduates go

Context — none of this enters the Scope Score

In fall 2025, 25 of La Sierra's 310 graduates enrolled in the University of California system — Riverside the most common landing, with 10 enrollees.

Applied77fall 2025, universitywide
Admitted60
Enrolled25
Where they landed (fall 2025)

6 of 9 campuses are masked below UC's privacy floor — a protection, not a verdict.

campuses never sum to the universitywide figure — students apply to several

College destination mix, class of 2023

Class of 2023: 325 completers, 55% enrolled somewhere within a year

University of California 24 (7%)California State University 28 (9%)California community college 98 (30%)In-state private 20 (6%)Out-of-state, 4-year 7 (2%)Out-of-state, 2-year 2 (1%)Not enrolled 146 (45%)

Percentages are computed by SchoolScope (count ÷ completers) from CDE-reported counts, not a CDE-native rate.

Data source: California Department of Education, 2023 cohort — the newest published; National Student Clearinghouse match.

UC enrollees, universitywide, 2014–2025

Peak: 59 enrolled, 2014

UC is one road of many — the full destination mix for the class of 2023 is below. And who applied isn't who the school taught: the ratio between the two reflects the self-selected pool of students who chose to apply, not what happened in the classroom. By the state's 2023 count, 55% of this class's predecessors enrolled in college somewhere within a year. More of the class of 2023 enrolled at community colleges (98) than at UC (24).

Data source: University of California Office of the President (UC Information Center), fall 2025 admissions cycle · college-going rate: California Department of Education, 2023 cohort.

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 21:1, district 23:121:1
Teaching staff76 teachers
Avg. experience15.3 years
Fully credentialed83%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$67,828 – $147,670
Principal salary$172,452 – $188,984
Superintendent salary$315,000

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Course Breadth
AP exam qualifiers94 studentsCCI, participation not authorization
CTE pathway completers55 students
Advanced Coursework

La Sierra's teachers are authorized to teach 17 of the 40 AP subjects the College Board offers — above the 14-subject median among California schools that offer AP at all — including Calculus BC, Calculus AB, and Physics 1.

AP subjects taught17
Math & Computer Science (4)Calculus AB · Calculus BC · Precalculus · Statistics
Sciences (4)Biology · Chemistry · Environmental Science · Physics 1
English (2)English Language and Composition · English Literature and Composition
History & Social Science (4)Psychology · U.S. Government and Politics · United States History · World History: Modern
World Languages & Cultures (2)Spanish Language and Culture · Spanish Literature and Culture
Arts (1)2-D Art and Design

Data source: College Board AP Course Audit, 2025 - 2026 audit year (authorization, not enrollment) · IB World Schools directory, name-matched · structural depth: 2020-21 federal snapshot, table 09

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $22,499, CA average $14,491$22,499 · spent at this school
Federal share$385 per student

$385 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$21,841 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
Instruction64%
Instruction support11%
Student services9%
Administration6%
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$15,196 per pupil
2019$13,092 per pupil
2018$13,771 per pupil
2017$12,822 per pupil
2016$12,265 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic82.0%
District 81.3% · CA 56.1%
White6.9%
District 7.2% · CA 19.9%
Black4.6%
District 4.0% · CA 4.8%
Asian3.3%
District 3.7% · CA 10.2%
Other3.3%
District 3.9% · CA 9.0%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 87.9% (24pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$85K · CA $85K
Median home value$570K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+21% · CA 35%
ZIP population53,419
Median age33 years

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

Worth Knowing

On the state's science test (CAST), 22% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is La Sierra High a good high school?

La Sierra High has a Scope Score of 47 out of 100, placing it in the 56th percentile of California high schools and ranked #952 statewide. 12.6% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 3.2 percentage points below the California average of 15.8%. The Scope Score weights 7 dimensions for high schools: graduation rate (25%), exceeded standard (22%), college/career readiness (20%), met or exceeded (proficient) (18%), 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 La Sierra High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 34.6% of students at La Sierra High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 12.6% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 21.9% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 12.6% 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. 775 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does La Sierra High rank in California?

La Sierra High ranks #952 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 56th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), 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 La Sierra High?

27.3% of students at La Sierra High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 30.2%. The suspension rate is 4.6%. 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 La Sierra High compare to other schools in Riverside?

La Sierra High scores 47/100 (56th percentile) among California high 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 1,514 students. Use the schools in Riverside page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

How does La Sierra High serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At La Sierra High in Riverside, 49.1% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 35.0% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. La Sierra High outperforms its district average for low-income students by 14.2 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (16.9% Math proficient); Hispanic students (48.6% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 43.3 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 344 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.

What AP courses are offered at La Sierra High?

La Sierra High's teachers are authorized to teach 17 of the 40 AP subjects the College Board offers, per the 2025 - 2026 AP Course Audit: 2-D Art and Design, Biology, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Chemistry, English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, Environmental Science, Physics 1, Precalculus, Psychology, Spanish Language and Culture, Spanish Literature and Culture, Statistics, U.S. Government and Politics, United States History, World History: Modern. Authorization means the school may teach a course, not that a section is running this year, and it's separate from AP exam pass rates. Data source: College Board AP Course Audit, analyzed by SchoolScope.

How many students from La Sierra High go to UC?

In fall 2025, 25 La Sierra High graduates enrolled at University of California campuses, universitywide. That figure can't be split into a per-campus sum — students apply to several UC campuses at once, so campus-level counts don't add up to the universitywide total. UC is one destination among many: this says nothing about graduates who chose a CSU, a private college, a community college, or work, and it is a count, not a rate or a ranking. Data source: University of California Office of the President (UC Information Center), fall 2025 admissions cycle.

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
Graduation rate · 25%
95.7%
↑ vs CA 86.6% · 60th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
12.6%
↓ vs CA 15.8% · 47th pctile
College readiness · 20%
51.9%
↑ vs CA 33.9% · 60th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
34.6%
↓ vs CA 35.7% · 49th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
27.3%
↑ vs CA 30.2% · 52th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
4.6%
↓ vs CA 3.6% · 46th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
11.2%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 42th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1138821%30%27%22%51%+4
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 113875%14%26%55%18%−5
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/114104%17%68%10%

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 Disadvantaged34449.1%+14+11
Hispanic/Latino31348.6%+14+10
English Learners807.5%−0−3
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
La Sierra High ←4712.6%34.6%4.6%
Hillcrest High1.5 mi5416.0%42.2%2.6%
Norte Vista High2.7 mi427.1%27.1%3.7%
Alvord Alternative Continuation High1.6 mi250.0%5.5%3.1%
California average4415.8%35.7%3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
95.7%
AP Exam Prepared
51.9%
A-G Completion
53.5%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
55.1%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20195161#80212.3%35.7%15.3%4.0%
20224554#9687.6%26.6%34.9%4.9%
20234658#9128.7%31.1%29.8%3.6%
20244758#8999.5%32.1%24.8%4.7%
20254756#95212.6%34.6%27.3%4.6%
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female15.1%31.1%+16.0pp
Male14.7%23.5%+8.8pp
Asian4.4%17.0%+12.6pp
Black/African American21.8%46.3%+24.5pp
White2.4%21.7%+19.3pp
Hispanic/Latino14.1%26.8%+12.7pp
Pacific Islander25.0%
Two or More Races21.9%45.0%+23.1pp
Students with Disabilities25.2%38.0%+12.8pp
English Learners15.5%26.8%+11.3pp
Foster Youth50.0%70.6%+20.6pp
Homeless23.6%38.6%+15.0pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged15.9%28.2%+12.3pp
All Students14.9%27.1%+12.2pp
06UC admissions, universitywide2014–2025 · summed across CEEB codes at query time
YearAppliedAdmittedEnrolledGPA (applied)GPA (admitted)GPA (enrolled)
20257760253.663.843.94
20249562353.593.924.02
20238657253.723.964.07
20227248213.713.884.04
20218862413.633.823.98
20209668363.633.783.96
201910650323.503.843.92
201811250283.433.874.08
201711754273.383.813.95
201612367443.463.793.86
201516883583.433.813.85
201415276593.533.893.96

‹n = UC masks counts below n · a missing year means zero or masked — never assume zero · GPA cells blank for years with more than one contributing CEEB code (a summed GPA would be fabricated math) · GPAs live here and nowhere else on this page · Applied/Admitted/Enrolled reflect who applied, not what the school taught — no admit rate is computed or implied by this table. Series shown from 2014; full record to 1994 at the UC Infocenter.

07UC admissions by campuslatest falls on file
CampusYearAppliedAdmittedEnrolled
Berkeley2025254‹3
Berkeley2024244‹3
Berkeley2023183‹3
Berkeley2022245‹3
Berkeley20211443
Davis2025174‹3
Davis2024166‹3
Davis20231710‹3
Davis202211‹3‹3
Davis2021134‹3
Irvine202559115
Irvine2024702010
Irvine202369245
Irvine202256134
Irvine2021623619
Los Angeles202542‹3‹3
Los Angeles2024503‹3
Los Angeles2023424‹3
Los Angeles202242‹3‹3
Los Angeles2021506‹3
Merced20252218‹3
Merced20241614‹3
Merced20231512‹3
Merced20222018‹3
Merced202121213
Riverside2025624910
Riverside2024764513
Riverside2023613511
Riverside202253268
Riverside2021763911
San Diego202544175
San Diego202449234
San Diego202348196
San Diego202243215
San Diego202150204
Santa Barbara20251610‹3
Santa Barbara20243316‹3
Santa Barbara20232311‹3
Santa Barbara2022138‹3
Santa Barbara20212511‹3
Santa Cruz2025104‹3
Santa Cruz20242515‹3
Santa Cruz2023135‹3
Santa Cruz20228‹3‹3
Santa Cruz202111‹3‹3
Universitywide2025776025
Universitywide2024956235
Universitywide2023865725
Universitywide2022724821
Universitywide2021886241

Σ campuses ≠ universitywide — students apply to several campuses; the Universitywide row (muted) is its own independent count, never a sum of the rows above it.

08AP course catalog2025 - 2026
SubjectTaught by
2-D Art and Designthis school
Biologythis school
Calculus ABthis school
Calculus BCthis school
Chemistrythis school
English Language and Compositionthis school
English Literature and Compositionthis school
Environmental Sciencethis school
Physics 1this school
Precalculusthis school
Psychologythis school
Spanish Language and Culturethis school
Spanish Literature and Culturethis school
Statisticsthis school
U.S. Government and Politicsthis school
United States Historythis school
World History: Modernthis school

Authorization ≠ a section running this year — the Ledger records what the school may teach, not seat counts.

09Advanced coursework — 2020-21 federal civil-rights snapshotstructural, dated — newest published; biennial
MeasureThis school
AP offeredoffered
AP course count17
AP enrollment299
IB participationnot offered
Dual enrollmentoffered · 14 enrolled
Algebra I in grade 8not reported
Calculus sections3
Physics sections14
Chemistry sections16
Total enrollment (CRDC)1,614

Shown, never scored — no entry to any composite. NULL/reserve codes render "not reported," never a fabricated zero. The equity block above this table (§4) is the per-subgroup view of this same collection.

10College destinationsclass of 2023 · CDE 12-mo College-Going Rate
DestinationCompleters% (derived)
University of California247.4%
California State University288.6%
California community college9830.1%
In-state private206.2%
Out-of-state, 4-year72.1%
Out-of-state, 2-year20.6%
Not enrolled14644.9%

325 completers, class of 2023 · state-reported college-going rate 55% · % column is computed by SchoolScope (count ÷ completers), not a CDE-native rate · a missing cell is CDE suppression, never a fabricated zero · source: CDE 12-mo CGR, 2023 cohort (the newest published), National Student Clearinghouse match — a different, older vintage than the fall 2025 UC admissions rows in tables 06-07 above.

EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,160 high schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · UC Infocenter (annual refresh, summer) — ‹5/‹3 = masked, never summed across campuses · AP Course Ledger 2025 - 2026 (November refresh; authorization not enrollment) · CRDC 2020-21 (biennial; next expected 2021-22) · CDE 12-mo CGR 2023 cohort, National Student Clearinghouse match · 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