School Profile · San Bernardino
Norton Science and Language Academy: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.
Norton Science and Language Academy 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.
230 S Waterman Ave, 92408 (opens in new tab)·San Bernardino County Office of Educatio·San Bernardino·Grades K-12·1,249 students·77% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(909) 386-2300·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
29
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #4,491 statewide · #4 of 5 in San Bernardino County Office of Educatio
Norton Science and Language Academy scores 29 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 22nd 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 →
Most rating sites would stop at “26% proficient” and call it done. Norton Science and Language Academy deserves a closer read. The school sits in San Bernardino, where three in four 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.
As a charter, Norton Science and Language Academy enrolls by application, not address — the score reads the same, the enrollment path doesn't.
The story this school is actually telling
The school, grade by grade
ELA · CAASPP 2024–25Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.
8%
13%
79%
Grade 3 · 21% proficient
10%
21%
69%
Grade 4 · 31% proficient
11%
18%
71%
Grade 5 · 29% proficient
The 5 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
8.1%
State 21.3%
13.3pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
25.8%
State 42.7%
16.8pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
-1.7pp
State -2.9pp
Scores decline across grades
Chronic absenteeism
18.5%
State 17.9%
0.6pp above state avg
Suspension rate
4.8%
State 1.6%
3.2pp above 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.
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
Estimated K-12 Path
Elementary
Norton Science and Langua…
29
This school
→
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Estimated K-12 path based on district and proximity. Actual attendance zones may differ. Contact your school district for official feeder information.
Planning ahead? 6 licensed preschools near this school →
Your other options
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 48
Savant Preparatory Academy of Business
San Bernardino City Unified · 0.8 mi
Solid
52/100
Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences - San
San Bernardino City Unified · 0.7 mi
Solid
50/100
Riley Elementary
San Bernardino City Unified · 2 mi
Developing
40/100
Private alternatives nearby
Private schools within ~10 miles. These schools do not participate in state testing and cannot be scored or ranked.
The community around it
Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic92.3%
White2.6%
Asian0.6%
Black3.1%
Other1.4%
GenderFemale 52.8%Male 47.2%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 76.7% (13pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
1,249
Near CA avg (~1,200)
Transitional Kindergarten
TK status unconfirmed
No TK enrollment is on file with the state for this school — that isn't the same as “no TK.” Confirm directly with the district.
Student-Teacher Ratio
21:1
0 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$75,731
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
Teacher Salary Range
$62,055 – $132,536
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Norton Science and Language Academy in San Bernardino, 35.7% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 5.2% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Norton Science and Language Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 30.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (19.8% Math proficient); Hispanic students (36.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 31.5 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 558 students tested.
Equity Gaps
ELA · English Learner−31.5pp
8.0% vs 39.5% overall · n=190
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−13.7pp
0.5% vs 14.1% overall · n=190
Math · English Learner−16.1pp
7.1% vs 23.2% overall · n=190
Math Exceeded · English Learner−5.7pp
1.5% vs 7.2% overall · n=190
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income558 tested
ELA 35.7%·Math 19.8%· +30.4pp vs district
Hispanic634 tested
ELA 36.1%·Math 22.5%· +29.4pp vs district
English Learner190 tested
ELA 8.4%·Math 7.9%· +8.4pp vs district
Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.
Subgroup Growth by Grade
Change in proficiency from lowest tested grade. Shows which groups are gaining ground.
Low-income student ELA proficiency rises by 5.4pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school. District average: +0.0pp.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$68K
$17K below CA median
Median Home Value
$426K
$233K below CA median
Bachelor's+
16%
19pp below CA avg
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
Whole Child
Teacher experience, college/career readiness, and more. Context only — never part of the Scope Score.
Teacher Experience
11.4 years avg experience
61 teachers · 11% first-year · 7% second-year
Teacher Credentials
95% fully credentialed
Source: CDE SARC, 2024-25
Community Profile provides context about who attends this school and the resources available. These factors are never part of the Scope Score. Learn why →
For the data nerdsEvery number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
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 · 43%
8.1%
↓ vs CA 21.3% · 37th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
25.8%
↓ vs CA 42.7% · 37th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 15%
-1.7pp
↑ vs CA -2.9pp · 52th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
18.5%
↓ vs CA 17.9% · 49th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
4.8%
↓ vs CA 1.6% · 23th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 99 | 8% | 13% | 22% | 57% | 21% | −22 |
| Grade 4 | 100 | 10% | 21% | 15% | 54% | 31% | −14 |
| Grade 5 | 100 | 11% | 18% | 24% | 47% | 29% | −19 |
| Grade 6 | 122 | 11% | 25% | 30% | 34% | 36% | −10 |
| Grade 7 | 121 | 14% | 36% | 31% | 20% | 50% | +2 |
| Grade 8 | 116 | 17% | 35% | 27% | 21% | 53% | +7 |
| Grade 11 | 31 | 29% | 29% | 19% | 23% | 58% | +11 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 99 | 5% | 22% | 25% | 47% | 27% | −18 |
| Grade 4 | 99 | 7% | 23% | 29% | 40% | 30% | −11 |
| Grade 5 | 99 | 7% | 9% | 25% | 59% | 16% | −19 |
| Grade 6 | 122 | 10% | 18% | 28% | 44% | 28% | −7 |
| Grade 7 | 121 | 5% | 14% | 26% | 55% | 19% | −15 |
| Grade 8 | 116 | 9% | 18% | 17% | 55% | 28% | −5 |
| Grade 11 | 31 | 6% | 6% | 26% | 61% | 13% | −10 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 248 | 6% | 17% | 60% | 18% |
CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.
| Subgroup · ELA | Tested | MET+ | vs district | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 558 | 35.7% | +30 | −3 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 634 | 36.1% | +29 | −3 |
| English Learners | 190 | 8.4% | +8 | −2 |
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norton Science and Language Academy ← | — | 29 | 8.1% | 25.8% | −1.7 | 4.8% |
| Savant Preparatory Academy of Business | 0.8 mi | 52 | 36.4% | 58.8% | −12.8 | 13.6% |
| Ballington Academy for the Arts and Sciences - San | 0.7 mi | 50 | 17.9% | 42.8% | +58.5 | 0.3% |
| Riley Elementary | 2 mi | 40 | 14.1% | 31.7% | −5.9 | 0.5% |
| California average | — | 43 | 21.3% | 42.7% | −2.9 | 1.6% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #3214 → #4540 → #4238 → #4838 → #4491
What we can't show
- — Scored here as an elementary school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,744 elementary schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
A low score doesn't tell the whole story. Read: Your School Scored Low — Here's What That Actually Means
Frequently asked questions
Is Norton Science and Language Academy a good elementary school?
Norton Science and Language Academy has a Scope Score of 29 out of 100, placing it in the 22nd percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #4,491 statewide. 8.1% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 13.3 percentage points below the California average of 21.3%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for elementary schools: exceeded standard (43%), met or exceeded (22%), grade 3-to-5 growth (15%), chronic absenteeism (10%), ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%), and suspension rate (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.
What are Norton Science and Language Academy's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 25.8% of students at Norton Science and Language Academy met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 8.1% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 17.8% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 8.1% 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. 596 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Norton Science and Language Academy rank in California?
Norton Science and Language Academy ranks #4,491 among California elementary 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), 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.
Is Norton Science and Language Academy getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Norton Science and Language Academy decreases by 1.7 percentage points from Grade 3 to grade 5 growth. This downward pattern doesn't necessarily mean the school is failing — it can reflect cohort differences, demographic shifts, or curriculum changes. A campus visit and conversation with teachers can reveal what the numbers can't. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the elementary Scope Score because it measures what the school does, not just who walks in the door.
What is the attendance and school culture like at Norton Science and Language Academy?
18.5% of students at Norton Science and Language Academy are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 4.8%. 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 Norton Science and Language Academy compare to other schools in San Bernardino?
Norton Science and Language Academy scores 29/100 (22nd 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 1,249 students. Use the schools in San Bernardino page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.
How does Norton Science and Language Academy serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Norton Science and Language Academy in San Bernardino, 35.7% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 5.2% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Norton Science and Language Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 30.4 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (19.8% Math proficient); Hispanic students (36.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 31.5 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 558 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.