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School Profile · Palmdale

Palmdale Academy Charter: This school runs ahead of the state average. The bar itself is the harder conversation.

Palmdale Academy Charter posts 35% meeting the standard against 35% statewide — ahead of most, with real headroom above the bar.

3838 East Avenue R, 93550·Palmdale Elementary·Palmdale·Grades K-12·989 students·72% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(661) 234-4800·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
50
🌱 Building Momentum · Solid
ranked #835 statewide

Palmdale Academy Charter scores 50 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 52nd percentile of 1,739 California high schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

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

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “35% proficient” and call it done. Palmdale Academy Charter deserves a closer read. The school sits in Palmdale, where two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The headline number: 55.7% of low-income students met the ELA standard — versus 38.2% for the same group statewide.

As a charter, Palmdale Academy Charter enrolls by application, not address — the score reads the same, the enrollment path doesn't.

The story this school is actually telling

Proficient by 11th grade
35%
State 35%
Graduate
95%
State 88%
Pass an AP exam
37%
State 36%

Of 100 students here: 35 are proficient by 11th grade → 95 graduate → 37 pass an AP exam. The gaps between those bars are the questions to ask.

55.7%
Low-income · ELA · met standard

Palmdale Academy Charter's most underrated number

55.7% 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.

Palmdale Academy Charter low-income: 55.7%State low-income: 38.2%

The 6 things our score weighs

Graduation rate
95.4%
State 87.6%
7.8pp above state avg
Exceeded standard
9.9%
State 15.5%
5.5pp below state avg
College readiness
36.7%
State 35.5%
AP exam pass rate above state avg
Met or exceeded
35.4%
State 34.6%
0.8pp above state avg
Chronic absenteeism
22.3%
State 32.1%
9.8pp below state avg
Suspension rate
3.2%
State 4.0%
0.9pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask how the school challenges kids who clear the standard early. The gap between meeting and exceeding is where pacing shows.

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Path

Palmdale Academy Charter serves grades K-12 — students can complete their entire K-12 education here.

Your other options

All schools in Palmdale →

Private alternatives nearby

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

Academy for Advancement of Children With Autism
E Ave H · Nonsectarian · Grades 2-12 · 51 students
9:1Private10.4 mi
Empowered Church International/ Learning Academy
E Ave J · Nonsectarian · Grades Pre-K-6 · 25 students
10:1Private8.7 mi
Stanza International Academy
Holston Dr · Nonsectarian · Grades 9-12 · 11 students
4:1Private7.5 mi
Stanza International Academy
Holston Dr · Nonsectarian · Grades 9-12 · 9 students
4:1Private7.5 mi
Lancaster-Montessori Pre School Inc.
W Newgrove St · Nonsectarian · Grades Pre-K · 5 students
5:1Private9.7 mi

The community around it

Community Profile
Context — not part of the Scope Score

Student demographics

Hispanic81.1%
White2.7%
Asian0.3%
Black8.3%
Other7.6%
GenderFemale 54.8%Male 45.2%
Resources & Access
Enrollment
989
211 below CA avg (~1,200)
Free/Reduced Lunch
72%
8pp above CA avg (64%)
Student-Teacher Ratio
22:1
1 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$24,900
District avg: $15,361 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
Teacher Salary Range
$58,752 – $131,333
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Palmdale Academy Charter in Palmdale, 55.7% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 27.8% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Palmdale Academy Charter outperforms its district average for low-income students by 27.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (11.3% Math proficient); Hispanic students (60.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 56.8 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 158 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · Two or More Races+19.4pp
41.7% vs 22.3% overall · n=24
Suspension · Black+5.5pp
8.7% vs 3.2% overall · n=92
ELA · English Learner−56.8pp
0.0% vs 56.8% overall · n=18
2 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · Disabilities−18.4pp
0.0% vs 18.4% overall · n=28
Math · English Learner−14.0pp
0.0% vs 14.0% overall · n=18

Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income159 tested
ELA 55.7%·Math 11.3%· +27.9pp vs district
Hispanic163 tested
ELA 60.5%·Math 12.9%· +28.6pp vs district
Disabilities28 tested
ELA 25.0%·Math 3.6%· +17.6pp vs district

Weighted average across tested grades. Subgroups with fewer than 15 students excluded. Data: CDE CAASPP 2024-25.

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 55%Support 40%Other 5%

Source: NCES F-33 (2019–2020) · Full district breakdown →

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$62K
$23K below CA median
Median Home Value
$421K
$238K below CA median
Bachelor's+
10%
25pp 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
8.9 years avg experience
52 teachers · 8% first-year · 10% second-year
Teacher Credentials
87% fully credentialed
AP Courses Offered
18 AP courses
40 students qualified via AP exam

Sources: CDE SARC · CDE College/Career Indicator, 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 nerds

Every number on this page

Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Graduation rate · 25%
95.4%
↑ vs CA 87.6% · 59th pctile
Exceeded standard · 22%
9.9%
↓ vs CA 15.5% · 44th pctile
College readiness · 20%
36.7%
↑ vs CA 35.5% · 51th pctile
Met or exceeded · 18%
35.4%
↑ vs CA 34.6% · 51th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
22.3%
↑ vs CA 32.1% · 58th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
3.2%
↑ vs CA 4.0% · 54th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 1120618%38%24%19%57%+10
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 112071%13%29%57%14%−9
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/112053%21%70%5%

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 Disadvantaged15855.7%+28+17
Hispanic/Latino16260.5%+29+22
Students with Disabilities2825.0%+18+8
03Peer comparison · nearest high schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Palmdale Academy Charter ←—509.9%35.4%—3.2%
Palmdale High1.8 mi425.3%21.0%—9.5%
California average—4715.5%34.6%—4.0%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Graduation Rate
95.4%
AP Exam Prepared
36.7%
A-G Completion
64.1%
A-G are the 15 courses (across 7 subjects) required for UC/CSU eligibility
Scope Score history
54%50%'24'25
2024 · 2025 · rank #803 → #835
What we can't show
  • — Scored here as a high school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=1,739 high schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
How to get into a charter school in LA →

Frequently asked questions

Is Palmdale Academy Charter a good high school?
Palmdale Academy Charter has a Scope Score of 50 out of 100, placing it in the 52nd percentile of California high schools and ranked #835 statewide. 9.9% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 5.5 percentage points below the California average of 15.5%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for high 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 Palmdale Academy Charter's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 35.4% of students at Palmdale Academy Charter met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 9.9% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 25.5% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 9.9% 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. 413 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Palmdale Academy Charter rank in California?
Palmdale Academy Charter ranks #835 among California high schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 52nd 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 Palmdale Academy Charter?
22.3% of students at Palmdale Academy Charter are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 32.1%. The suspension rate is 3.2%. 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 Palmdale Academy Charter compare to other schools in Palmdale?
Palmdale Academy Charter scores 50/100 (52nd 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 989 students. Use the schools in Palmdale page or the map view to compare all high schools nearby.
How does Palmdale Academy Charter serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Palmdale Academy Charter in Palmdale, 55.7% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 27.8% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Palmdale Academy Charter outperforms its district average for low-income students by 27.9 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (11.3% Math proficient); Hispanic students (60.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 56.8 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 158 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.
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