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Luther Burbank High · SacramentoPublic

Luther Burbank High: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.

Luther Burbank posts low test scores — and attendance holds near the state average — families haven't checked out. If this is your zoned school, the numbers below are where to start a conversation, not where to end one.

3500 Florin Road, 95823 (opens in new tab)·Sacramento City Unified·Sacramento·Grades 9-12·1,535 students·74% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(916) 395-5110
2019–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope3047
% Exceeded3%16%
% Met+18%36%
Grad rate89.0%86.6%
College readiness0.0%33.9%
Absence30.5%30.2%
Suspension10.2%3.6%
Scope Score
30
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #1,694 statewide · #13 of 16 in Sacramento City Unified

Luther Burbank High scores 30 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 22nd 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.

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “18% proficient” and call it done. Luther Burbank deserves a closer read. The school sits in Sacramento, where two-thirds of 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 2,160 high schools statewide

Has stayed near the 22nd percentile since 2019.

CA Dashboard
ELARed(Declined Significantly)MathRed(Declined Significantly)

This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 18% meet the standard today, versus 28% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.

ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1142%25%24%35%27%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade20192022202320242025
Grade 1114%6%6%14%9%

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
18%
State 36%
Graduate
89%
State 87%
Pass an AP exam
0%
State 34%

Of 100 students here: 18 are proficient by 11th grade → 89 graduate → 0 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

The 7 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
89.0%
State 86.6%
2.4pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
3.1%
State 15.8%
12.8pp below state avg
College readiness
0.0%
State 33.9%
AP course or exam readiness below state avg
Met or exceeded
17.8%
State 35.7%
17.9pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
30.5%
State 30.2%
0.3pp above state avg
Suspension rate
10.2%
State 3.6%
6.5pp above state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
7.5%
State 18.0%
10.5pp 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 what typically leads to a suspension, and what happens before it gets there.
  • 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.
  • Ask what a typical day looks like for a new student in the first few weeks.

How every group of students does here

At Luther Burbank High in Sacramento, 25.7% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 29.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Luther Burbank High trails its district average for low-income students by 3.7 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (9.3% Math proficient); Hispanic students (20.8% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 21.9 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 243 students tested.

All students at this school: 18% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 18%, district —, state 36%18%
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 18%, district 25%, state 32%18% · −0 vs school
MaleMale: this school 17%, district 35%, state 42%17% · −1 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 19%, district 37%, state 44%19% · +2 vs school
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 12%, district 28%, state 32%12% · −6 vs school
AsianAsian: this school 29%, district 42%, state 72%29% · +11 vs school
English LearnersEnglish Learners: this school 4%, district 10%, state 11%4% · −14 vs school
Black/African AmericanBlack/African American: this school 14%, district 17%, state 26%14% · −4 vs school
Students with DisabilitiesStudents with Disabilities: this school 4%, district 16%, state 15%4% · −14 vs school
HomelessHomeless: this school 17%, district 14%, state 22%17% · −1 vs school
Two or More RacesTwo or More Races: this school 42%, district 47%, state 56%42% · +24 vs school

5 of 16 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 — Hispanic students were 43% of Luther Burbank's enrollment and 100% of its AP seats — ahead of their share of the student body.

Hispanic100.0% AP · 42.6% enroll.
American Indian/Alaska Native0.0% AP · 0.5% enroll.
Asian0.0% AP · 27.4% enroll.
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander0.0% AP · 3.2% enroll.
Black0.0% AP · 20.7% enroll.
White0.0% AP · 2.5% enroll.
Two or more races0.0% AP · 3.2% enroll.
English learners8.9% AP · 26.1% enroll.
Students with disabilities0.0% AP · 12.9% 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 30.5%, district 25.5%, state 30.2%30.5% · +0.3pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 10.2%, district —, state 3.6%10.2% · +6.5pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 9–1230.4%

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path
▼
High School
Luther Burbank High
30/100
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.

Where graduates go

Context — never part of the Scope Score
64%
College-going rate, class of 2023

Where they went after graduation

Of Luther Burbank's class of 2023, 64% enrolled in college somewhere within a year — a CSU, a community college, a UC, or out of state.

College destination mix, class of 2023

Class of 2023: 314 completers, 64% enrolled somewhere within a year

University of California 24 (8%)California State University 56 (18%)California community college 102 (32%)In-state private 14 (4%)Out-of-state, 4-year 3 (1%)Out-of-state, 2-year 1 (0%)Not enrolled 114 (36%)

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 application funnel — one destination of six, tracked in detail because UC is the only source with 30 years of history

In fall 2025, 16 of Luther Burbank's 347 graduates enrolled in the University of California system — Davis the most common landing, with 7 enrollees.

Applied70fall 2025, universitywide
Admitted55
Enrolled16
Where they landed (fall 2025)

7 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

UC enrollees, universitywide, 2014–2025

Peak: 36 enrolled, 2015

UC publishes this trend back to 1994 — no other destination has a comparable multi-year record

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, 64% of this class's predecessors enrolled in college somewhere within a year. More of the class of 2023 enrolled at community colleges (102) 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 19:1, district 23:119:1
Teaching staff91 teachers
Avg. experience14.5 years
Fully credentialed81%
First-year teachers1%
Intern / emergency permit0.3%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$61,429 – $132,487
Principal salary$161,216 – $185,549
Superintendent salary$325,000

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

Course Breadth
CTE pathway completers20 students
Advanced Coursework

Luther Burbank's teachers are authorized to teach 1 of the 40 AP subjects the College Board offers — including Spanish Language and Culture.

AP subjects taught1
World Languages & Cultures (1)Spanish Language and Culture
IBDiploma Programme (DP)

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

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $25,340, CA average $14,491$25,340 · spent at this school
Federal share$375 per student

$375 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$24,421 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
Instruction62%
Instruction support13%
Student services12%
Administration5%
Buildings & maintenance8%

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$15,654 per pupil
2019$13,792 per pupil
2018$14,667 per pupil
2017$12,722 per pupil
2016$11,601 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Hispanic45.1%
District 42.2% · CA 56.1%
Asian25.4%
District 16.2% · CA 10.2%
Black16.6%
District 12.1% · CA 4.8%
Other10.0%
District 12.3% · CA 9.0%
White2.8%
District 17.3% · CA 19.9%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 74.1% (10pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$67K · CA $85K
Median home value$402K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+17% · CA 35%
ZIP population83,607
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), 12% 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.

Frequently asked questions

Is Luther Burbank High a good high school?

Luther Burbank High has a Scope Score of 30 out of 100, placing it in the 22nd percentile of California high schools and ranked #1,694 statewide. 3.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 12.8 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 Luther Burbank High's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 17.8% of students at Luther Burbank High met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 3.1% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 14.7% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 3.1% 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. 588 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Luther Burbank High rank in California?

Luther Burbank High ranks #1,694 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 22nd 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 Luther Burbank High?

30.5% of students at Luther Burbank High are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 30.2%. The suspension rate is 10.2%. 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 Luther Burbank High compare to other schools in Sacramento?

Luther Burbank High scores 30/100 (22nd 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 1,535 students. Use the schools in Sacramento page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.

How does Luther Burbank High serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Luther Burbank High in Sacramento, 25.7% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 29.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Luther Burbank High trails its district average for low-income students by 3.7 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (9.3% Math proficient); Hispanic students (20.8% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 21.9 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 243 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 Luther Burbank High?

Luther Burbank High's teachers are authorized to teach 1 of the 40 AP subjects the College Board offers, per the 2025 - 2026 AP Course Audit: Spanish Language and Culture. 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 Luther Burbank High go to UC?

In fall 2025, 16 Luther Burbank 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

All schools in Sacramento →

Private alternatives nearby

Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.

A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means

For the data nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and nearest schools.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Graduation rate · 25%
89.0%
↑ vs CA 86.6% · 53th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
3.1%
↓ vs CA 15.8% · 36th pctile
College readiness · 20%
0.0%
↓ vs CA 33.9% · 31th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
17.8%
↓ vs CA 35.7% · 37th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
30.5%
↓ vs CA 30.2% · 50th pctile
▼ 3.4pp lower vs 2024
Suspension rate · 5%
10.2%
↓ vs CA 3.6% · 20th pctile
▲ 2.1pp higher vs 2024
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
7.5%
↓ vs CA 18.0% · 36th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 112973%24%23%50%27%−22
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 112913%6%21%70%9%−15

We show the grade rows CDE publishes for this school. A missing grade or dash can mean the school does not serve that grade, no valid result was published, or the tested group was too small to report. It does not mean zero.

Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Schoolwide3361%10%74%14%

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.

Subgroup · ELATestedMET+vs districtvs CA
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged24325.7%−4−12
Hispanic/Latino12120.8%−12−18
Asian9337.6%−8−37
03Nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score · Grade gap = grade 3 vs grade 5, this year, different students; Cohort growth = the same students tracked across grades, in scale-score points — that's the measurement the Scope Score weights
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+Grade gapCohort growthSusp
Luther Burbank High ←—303.1%17.8%——10.2%
West Campus2.8 mi8955.5%82.8%——1.2%
New Technology High2.5 mi358.8%16.2%——7.9%
Daylor (William) High (Continuation)2 mi171.6%10.6%——6.5%
California average—4715.8%35.7%——3.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
89.0%
AP Exam Prepared
Not offered
This school may not offer AP courses
A-G Completion
49.9%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
College-Going Rate
63.7%
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrade gap
20193429#14545.6%28.0%29.3%9.3%—
20223123#16164.0%15.5%46.2%6.9%—
20233123#16562.6%14.9%37.1%8.0%—
20243326#15904.8%24.8%33.9%8.0%—
20253022#16943.1%17.8%30.5%10.2%—
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.
NO STATEWIDE TESTING 2020–21 (COVID) · SCORE AND PERCENTILE ARE RELATIVE TO EACH YEAR'S FIELD
What we can't show
  • — Low-income students here trail the state average for their group by 12 points in ELA — worth asking how the school is closing that gap.
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female28.9%31.0%+2.1pp
Male29.9%29.9%+0.0pp
Asian14.8%17.2%+2.4pp
Black/African American41.1%44.9%+3.8pp
White25.0%10.7%-14.3pp
Hispanic/Latino31.2%32.7%+1.5pp
Pacific Islander35.6%27.0%-8.6pp
Two or More Races35.9%33.8%-2.1pp
Students with Disabilities36.0%34.2%-1.8pp
English Learners27.7%27.4%-0.3pp
Foster Youth63.2%——
Homeless51.2%48.3%-2.9pp
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged29.7%31.3%+1.6pp
All Students29.4%30.4%+1.0pp
Military-Connected—27.8%—
06UC admissions, universitywide2014–2025 · summed across CEEB codes at query time
YearAppliedAdmittedEnrolledGPA (applied)GPA (admitted)GPA (enrolled)
20257055163.753.853.96
20247651213.783.914.05
20236652253.793.944.00
20225037143.864.024.18
20217771243.923.974.12
20206748123.673.843.97
20199246203.583.924.03
201810554303.683.994.05
20177740233.673.933.94
20167143263.723.934.06
20159062363.743.893.95
20147841193.523.723.90

‹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
Berkeley202537‹3‹3
Berkeley2024433‹3
Berkeley2023574‹3
Berkeley202238‹3‹3
Berkeley202144134
Davis202562187
Davis2024682412
Davis202358229
Davis202241197
Davis2021644012
Irvine202517‹3‹3
Irvine2024244‹3
Irvine202317‹3‹3
Irvine202212‹3‹3
Irvine2021255‹3
Los Angeles2025394‹3
Los Angeles202445‹3‹3
Los Angeles2023333‹3
Los Angeles2022313‹3
Los Angeles2021375‹3
Merced20253230‹3
Merced20243230‹3
Merced202326266
Merced20221917‹3
Merced20213534‹3
Riverside202519174
Riverside2024115‹3
Riverside202385‹3
Riverside202276‹3
Riverside20211513‹3
San Diego20253410‹3
San Diego20243373
San Diego2023217‹3
San Diego20221711‹3
San Diego20212413‹3
Santa Barbara2025169‹3
Santa Barbara2024179‹3
Santa Barbara202319114
Santa Barbara202276‹3
Santa Barbara2021109‹3
Santa Cruz20252823‹3
Santa Cruz20242111‹3
Santa Cruz20232914‹3
Santa Cruz2022176‹3
Santa Cruz202136253
Universitywide2025705516
Universitywide2024765121
Universitywide2023665225
Universitywide2022503714
Universitywide2021777124

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
Spanish Language and Culturethis 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 count1
AP enrollment45
IB participationoffered · 420 enrolled
Dual enrollmentoffered · 391 enrolled
Algebra I in grade 8not reported
Calculus sections20
Physics sections10
Chemistry sections21
Total enrollment (CRDC)1,699

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 California247.6%
California State University5617.8%
California community college10232.5%
In-state private144.5%
Out-of-state, 4-year31.0%
Out-of-state, 2-year10.3%
Not enrolled11436.3%

314 completers, class of 2023 · state-reported college-going rate 64% · % 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.

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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) · IB World Schools directory (name-matched, 0.90 gate) · 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

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