Nova Academy Early College High: The scores are below where anyone wants them. Here's what they don't tell you.
Nova Academy Early College 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.
| Scope | % Exceeded | % Met+ | Grad rate | College readiness | Absence | Suspension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 31 | 4% | 17% | — | — | 25.6% | 2.7% |
| CA average · High School | 44 | 16% | 36% | 87.6% | 35.4% | 30.2% | 3.6% |
Nova Academy Early College High scores 31 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 24th 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 “17% proficient” and call it done. Nova Academy Early College deserves a closer read. The school sits in Santa Ana, where four in five 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, Nova Academy Early College enrolls by application rather than address. That changes how you get in, but it doesn't change the score.
The seven-year arc
Slipped from the 69th to the 24th percentile since 2019.
This school hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic: 17% meet the standard today, versus 49% in 2019 — a gap worth asking about on a visit.
| Grade | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 65% | 71% | 62% | 60% | 32% |
| Grade | 2019 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 33% | 20% | 15% | 8% | 2% |
The 4 things our score weighs
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 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 Nova Academy Early College High in Santa Ana, 28.9% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 31.4% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Nova Academy Early College High trails its district average for low-income students by 2.5 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (2.4% Math proficient); Hispanic students (30.7% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 31.5 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 83 students tested.
Showing up, and staying in class
Where the path goes
The path below follows attendance boundaries — scores shown for each next step.
Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.
The people teaching here
Pay is set by the district, not the school.
What gets spent here
The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.
District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.
Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →
The neighborhood it serves
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level
At 288 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 Nova Academy Early College High a good high school?
What are Nova Academy Early College High's CAASPP test scores?
How does Nova Academy Early College High rank in California?
What is the attendance and school culture like at Nova Academy Early College High?
How does Nova Academy Early College High compare to other schools in Santa Ana?
How does Nova Academy Early College High serve low-income and underrepresented students?
Your other options
Nearby High Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 67
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 51
Nearby Middle Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 36
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
Every number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 92 | 9% | 23% | 33% | 36% | 32% | −16 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 11 | 92 | 0% | 2% | 18% | 79% | 2% | −21 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 66 | 3% | 24% | 65% | 8% |
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 | 83 | 28.9% | −2 | −9 |
| Hispanic/Latino | 88 | 30.7% | −1 | −8 |
| English Learners | 16 | 0.0% | −6 | −10 |
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nova Academy Early College High ← | — | 31 | 4.3% | 16.9% | — | 2.7% |
| OCSA | 0.5 mi | 80 | 48.1% | 75.3% | — | 1.1% |
| Middle College High | 1.2 mi | 61 | 43.9% | 75.3% | — | 1.3% |
| Hector G. Godinez | 2.6 mi | 59 | 21.0% | 48.5% | — | 0.6% |
| California average | — | 44 | 15.8% | 35.7% | — | 3.6% |
| Year | Scope | Pctile | Rank | Exc | Met+ | Absent | Susp | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 54 | 69 | #641 | 19.3% | 49.2% | 15.5% | 2.3% | — |
| 2022 | 47 | 59 | #855 | 13.8% | 45.4% | 29.9% | 4.9% | — |
| 2023 | 45 | 55 | #975 | 16.4% | 38.5% | 35.0% | 3.8% | — |
| 2024 | 41 | 41 | #1269 | 11.0% | 33.8% | 40.5% | 1.8% | — |
| 2025 | 31 | 24 | #1634 | 4.3% | 16.9% | 25.6% | 2.7% | — |
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