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Launch Virtual Academy · San Diego

Launch Virtual Academy: 45% of kids clear the bar — ahead of the state's 36%. But two-thirds miss a month of school or more.

Launch Virtual Academy's strongest signal is real. Attendance is the number to ask about — and both belong on the same page.

2710 Iris Avenue, 92154 (opens in new tab)·Sweetwater Union High·San Diego·Grades 7-12·578 students·51% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(619) 796-7624·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
Scope3744
% Exceeded19%16%
% Met+45%36%
Grad rate75.5%87.6%
College readiness16.1%35.4%
Absence73.8%30.2%
Suspension0.5%3.6%
Scope Score
37
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #1,460 statewide · #14 of 16 in Sweetwater Union High

Launch Virtual Academy scores 37 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 32nd 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 “45% proficient” and call it done. Launch Virtual Academy deserves a closer read. The school sits in San Diego, where more than half of students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

Launch Virtual Academy's low-income kids hit 49.5% 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 32nd percentile since 2022.

CA Dashboard
ELABlue(Increased Significantly)MathBlue(Increased Significantly)
ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade2022202320242025
Grade 771%65%56%47%
Grade 848%50%41%40%
Grade 1144%57%51%58%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade2022202320242025
Grade 750%33%41%38%
Grade 825%26%23%19%
Grade 1112%31%43%32%

The story this school is actually telling

The floor · met or exceeded
45.1%

of students met or exceeded the standard, versus 35.7% statewide.

↑ what most “best schools” lists are measuring
The catch · chronic absence
73.8%

of students miss a month or more of school, versus 30.2% statewide. High absence often tracks community stress — the data can't say why.

↓ the part no ranking site shows you
Proficient by 11th grade
45%
State 36%
Graduate
76%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
16%
State 35%

Of 100 students here: 45 are proficient by 11th grade → 76 graduate → 16 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

49.5%
Low-income · ELA · met standard

Launch Virtual Academy's most underrated number

49.5% 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.

Launch Virtual Academy low-income: 49.5%State low-income: 38.2%Launch Virtual Academy EL: 28.6%State EL: 10.4%

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
75.5%
State 87.6%
12.1pp below state avg
Exceeded standard
19.4%
State 15.8%
3.6pp above state avg
College readiness
16.1%
State 35.4%
AP exam pass rate below state avg
Met or exceeded
45.1%
State 35.7%
9.4pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
73.8%
State 30.2%
43.6pp above state avg
Suspension rate
0.5%
State 3.6%
3.1pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
17.5%
State 18.0%
0.5pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask how the school tracks and follows up on attendance. High absence often reflects community stress, not classroom quality — a visit will tell you which.

  • Ask how the school follows up when a student starts missing days — chronic absence often starts outside the classroom, not inside it.
  • Ask whether extra support — tutoring, counseling, small groups — reaches kids across income lines, not just the students already ahead.
  • Ask what share of students complete the full college-prep course sequence, and who gets steered into it.
  • 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.

How every group of students does here

At Launch Virtual Academy in San Diego, 49.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 42.3% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Launch Virtual Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 7.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (28.8% Math proficient); Hispanic students (51.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 20.9 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 88 students tested.

All students at this school: 41% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 41%, district —, state 36%41%
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 39%, district 34%, state 32%39% · −2 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 48%, district 42%, state 44%48% · +8 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 40%, district 32%, state 32%40% · −0 vs school
MaleMale: this school 30%, district 40%, state 42%30% · −10 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 30%, district 7%, state 11%30% · −11 vs school
WhiteWhite: this school 36%, district 53%, state 56%36% · −4 vs school

9 of 16 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 73.8%, district 27.3%, state 30.2%73.8% · +43.6pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 0.5%, district —, state 3.6%0.5% · −3.1pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 7–884.0%
Grades 9–1279.6%

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path
Elementary
No feeder data available for this level
High School
Launch Virtual Academy
37/100
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 21:1, district 23:121:1
Teaching staff30 teachers
Avg. experience17.2 years
Fully credentialed77%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$55,375 – $124,275
Principal salary$0 – $187,294
Superintendent salary$300,404

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Course Breadth
AP courses offered5
AP exam qualifiers5 students

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $2,005, CA average $14,815$2,005 · spent at this school

These measure different things: this figure is spending attributed to this campus, while district-wide figures also include central administration, districtwide programs, and the state's pension contributions made on the district's behalf — costs that never get assigned to a single school. The district number runs higher at nearly every school, not just this one.

Federal share$433 per student

$433 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$18,370 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
Instruction58%
Instruction support16%
Student services8%
Administration8%
Buildings & maintenance8%
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$15,976 per pupil
2019$14,540 per pupil
2018$14,457 per pupil
2017$11,416 per pupil
2016$11,708 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic76.6%
District 72.2% · CA 56.1%
White9.9%
District 9.5% · CA 19.9%
Other8.0%
District 12.9% · CA 9.0%
Black4.3%
District 3.4% · CA 4.8%
Asian1.2%
District 2.0% · CA 10.2%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 51.2% (13pp below CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$95K · CA $85K
Median home value$639K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+22% · CA 35%
ZIP population80,445
Median age37 years

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

Worth Knowing

At 578 students, this school is much smaller than the typical California high school (≈1450).

On the state's science test (CAST), 27% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Launch Virtual Academy a good high school?

Launch Virtual Academy has a Scope Score of 37 out of 100, placing it in the 32nd percentile of California high schools and ranked #1,460 statewide. 19.4% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 3.6 percentage points above 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 Launch Virtual Academy's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 45.1% of students at Launch Virtual Academy met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 19.4% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 25.7% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 19.4% 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. 190 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Launch Virtual Academy rank in California?

Launch Virtual Academy ranks #1,460 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 32nd 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 Launch Virtual Academy?

73.8% of students at Launch Virtual Academy are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 30.2%. 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 Launch Virtual Academy compare to other schools in San Diego?

Launch Virtual Academy scores 37/100 (32nd 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 578 students. Use the schools in San Diego page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

How does Launch Virtual Academy serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Launch Virtual Academy in San Diego, 49.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 42.3% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Launch Virtual Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 7.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (28.8% Math proficient); Hispanic students (51.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 20.9 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 88 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
Graduation rate · 25%
75.5%
↓ vs CA 87.6% · 36th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
19.4%
↑ vs CA 15.8% · 54th pctile
College readiness · 20%
16.1%
↓ vs CA 35.4% · 39th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
45.1%
↑ vs CA 35.7% · 57th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
73.8%
↓ vs CA 30.2% · 14th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.5%
↑ vs CA 3.6% · 64th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
17.5%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 52th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 71921%26%26%26%47%−0
Grade 8479%32%21%38%40%−6
Grade 119623%35%28%14%58%+11
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 71631%6%13%50%38%+4
Grade 8427%12%19%62%19%−13
Grade 119416%16%26%43%32%+9
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/112275%22%61%12%

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 Disadvantaged8849.5%+7+11
Hispanic/Latino12451.2%+7+12
English Learners1628.6%+20+18
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Launch Virtual Academy ←3719.4%45.1%0.5%
Castle Park Senior High2.8 mi5213.5%36.8%4.7%
Montgomery Senior High1.1 mi5214.3%37.6%3.4%
Southwest Senior High0.6 mi509.6%32.8%5.9%
California average4415.8%35.7%3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
75.5%
AP Exam Prepared
16.1%
A-G Completion
30.1%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
59.4%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20223125#156810.5%27.9%62.8%0.4%
20233634#141517.8%44.0%57.0%0.4%
20243431#148210.1%46.8%58.1%1.0%
20253732#146019.4%45.1%73.8%0.5%
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female80.1%
Male81.1%
Black/African American79.5%
White78.1%
Hispanic/Latino82.0%
Two or More Races68.8%
Students with Disabilities80.8%
English Learners87.4%
Homeless79.2%
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged83.7%
All Students80.5%
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 · 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