Public school with a magnet program · Sierra Sands Unified

Pierce Academy of the Arts — Rating & test scores

674 North Gold Canyon, Ridgecrest · 297 students · Grades TK–6

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Campus map · © OpenStreetMap

Drawn from OpenStreetMap. Volunteers map it, so a new building may be missing. Buildings with no mapped height are drawn one storey high.

A picture of the campus, not an attendance boundary or a rating.

Schools maintain a closed campus policy. For students’ safety, visitors may enter a campus only with the school’s official permission; this drawing implies no permission to enter.

Scope Score 73

DevelopingScope Score · 35th percentile. Higher than 35 in 100 of the 5,726 California public elementary schools we score.

75 is the typical California school. 100 is the best result in the state. How the score is built

Near California in English (reading and writing) and math: 47% and 34% scored Proficient or Advanced in grades 3–5, spring 2026, against 46% and 42%.

Source for this line
Source
California’s state tests (CAASPP), California Department of Education, spring 2026
Students
all students tested in grades 3–5: 83
Comparison
California: CDE’s grade 3, 4 and 5 rows for the whole state combined, weighted by students tested (our calculation; 1,208,894 in English and 1,211,701 in math tested).

This rating covers grades 3–5. Pierce Academy of the Arts teaches TK–6.

Overview

Is Pierce Academy of the Arts a good elementary school?

Developing. Pierce Academy of the Arts is higher than most California elementary schools on English test results. Pierce Academy of the Arts is lower than most on math test results, progress in both subjects and attendance.

Test results, spring 2026

English, Proficient or Advanced5747%
Math, Proficient or Advanced4334%
English, Advanced5320%
Math, Advanced3110%

Progress in a year, 2025

English29−3 pts
Math49+2 pts

Showing up, 2025–26

Attendance2523 in 100
Pierce Academy of the Arts’s place among California elementary schools, out of 100Sierra Sands Unified’s other elementary schoolsBar colour, from the lowest quarter of schools to the highest

One more thing to know

5.0% of students (11 of 218) were suspended at least once in 2025–26, about three times the rate at the average California elementary school.

Each bar is Pierce Academy of the Arts’s place among 5,726 California public elementary schools we score. Our calculation from California Department of Education records, updated October 15, 2026.

How to read these bars, and their sources

A place counts the schools out of 100 with a lower figure. The dashed line is the middle. Test results are from spring 2026, grades 3–5. Progress is the state’s measure of how the same students’ scores changed against the score it expected, 2025. Attendance counts students who missed 10% or more of school days; fewer is better, so a higher place means fewer such students.

Source for the sentence
CDE suspension file, 2025–26. All students enrolled during the year (CDE’s cumulative enrollment): 218. District and California figures are averages of school rates (7 Sierra Sands Unified schools; 5,726 scored California elementary schools), our calculation.

In its own words

What does Pierce Academy of the Arts say about itself?

We haven’t read Pierce Academy of the Arts’s website yet. Until we do, the school’s own site is the best place to hear it in its own words.

Open pierceacademyofthearts.ssusd.org (opens in a new tab)

Progress

Did students here score higher than students who started at the same place?

About the same, in both subjects. In 2025, students here in grades 4–6 scored 3 points lower in English than California students who had the same score the year before. The state calls that Average. In math, they scored 2 points higher, which the state calls Average.

English

−3

points lower than California students who had the same score a year earlier. The state calls it Average, the third of its five growth levels.

By student group · students counted

Low-income72−5 points
Hispanic or Latino38−1 points
Students with disabilities34−4 points
White34−9 points
Black or African American11+4 points

Math

+2

points higher than California students who had the same score a year earlier. The state calls it Average, the third of its five growth levels.

By student group · students counted

Low-income72+1 points
Hispanic or Latino38+7 points
Students with disabilities340 points
White34−5 points
Black or African American11+19 points

Grades 4–6, 2025, 91 students with scores in both years. Faded rows have fewer than 40 students. It describes results, not causes. Source: California Department of Education, growth model.

How the state’s growth measure works

The state calls this comparison an expected score. It sets one for each student from that student’s own score the year before.

California uses each student’s English and math scores from the year before to set an expected score, based on how students with similar earlier scores did across the state. Zero would mean students here scored as expected. In English they scored 3 points below that expected score, and in math 2 points above it.

The state sorts every school’s growth result into five growth levels, from Minimal to Exceptional.

Here, as at most schools, the state’s figure blends the two most recent years, so it moves more slowly than one year’s scores.

Nearby

How does it compare with schools nearby?

2 of the 6 elementary schools nearby have a higher Scope Score than Pierce Academy of the Arts. Each school is compared with every California elementary school.

Scope Score

7 elementary schools within 2.8 miles, highest score first. Under each name is how the school takes students.

  1. Vieweg STEM AcademyMagnet · by applicationScope Score 8381st
  2. Las FloresNeighborhood school · by addressScope Score 7443rd
  3. Pierce Academy of the ArtsScope Score 7335th
  4. GatewayNeighborhood school · by addressScope Score 7335th
  5. Ridgecrest Elementary Academy for Language, Music, and ScienceCharter · its own lotteryScope Score 7126th
  6. RichmondNeighborhood school · by addressScope Score 6913th
  7. FallerNeighborhood school · by addressScope Score 688th
Sierra Sands UnifiedCharterMagnet or school of choice

A charter school takes applications from any family and holds a lottery when it has more applicants than seats. A magnet or other school of choice takes applications through its district.

Scope Score from California Department of Education state tests (CAASPP), spring 2026, grades 3–5. Distance is a straight line from this campus and is not an attendance boundary. See these schools on the map

Scores and family income

Further right, more students are from low-income families. Higher up, more students scored Proficient or Advanced in English.

25%50%0%25%50%75%100%

5 of 6 schools are named on the chart. Point at a dot or tap it to read any school.

English results: California Department of Education state tests (CAASPP), spring 2026, grades 3–5. Low-income is the share of students who qualified for free or reduced-price meals, 2024–25. The chart compares results, not causes.

Schools like it

How does Pierce Academy of the Arts compare with schools like it?

Pierce Academy of the Arts’s Scope Score is 73. 1,305 California elementary schools, counting Pierce Academy of the Arts, have a similar share of students from low-income families. Their typical score is 72. Pierce Academy of the Arts’s result is higher than 739 of them.

The five schools with the highest results of the 1,305

  1. Students from low-income families: 85%

    Scope Score 94Strong · 97th percentile

  2. Students from low-income families: 88%

    Scope Score 89Strong · 92nd percentile

  3. Students from low-income families: 76%

    Scope Score 87Strong · 90th percentile

  4. Students from low-income families: 88%

    Scope Score 87Strong · 89th percentile

  5. Students from low-income families: 79%

    Scope Score 87Strong · 89th percentile

1,305 California public elementary schools where 76% to 88% of students qualified for free or reduced-price meals in 2024–25. The chart compares results, not causes. Our calculation from California Department of Education records, spring 2026.

How the group is chosen

The group is every California public elementary school we score where 76% to 88% of students qualified for free or reduced-price meals in 2024–25. That is within 6 points of Pierce Academy of the Arts’s share. The count includes Pierce Academy of the Arts. Typical means the median: half are higher and half are lower. Schools differ in more than family income, and no score is changed for it. Our calculation from California Department of Education records: state tests (CAASPP), spring 2026, and school meal eligibility, 2024–25.

Over time

Have results changed?

English results were higher than in 2025; math results were similar. English went from 30% to 47% and math from 30% to 34%.

Share at the state’s top two test levels, 2017 to 2026

Grades 3–5. Point at a year, tap it or use the arrow keys to read its figures.

English

No comparable testsNo tests25%50%75%2017201820192022202320242025202648%38%47%Pierce Academy of the ArtsThis school46%CaliforniaCalifornia39%Sierra Sands UnifiedDistrict

Math

No comparable testsNo tests25%50%75%2017201820192022202320242025202637%39%42%CaliforniaCalifornia34%Sierra Sands UnifiedDistrict34%Pierce Academy of the ArtsThis school

The lines break where a year has no comparable state test results. Each spring tests a different group of students. Sierra Sands Unified’s line combines its 7 elementary schools we score (our calculation). Faint lines are its other schools. Source: California Department of Education, state tests (CAASPP).

Each year’s results

The top two levels were called Met or Exceeded before 2026 and are called Proficient or Advanced now. Sierra Sands Unified’s figure weights each school by the students it tested.

English, grades 3–5: share at the top two levels
SpringPierce Academy of the ArtsSierra Sands UnifiedCaliforniaTested here
201738%48%45%163
201836%49%49%201
201936%49%50%191
202224%37%45%160
202320%39%44%173
202419%39%45%161
202530%42%46%149
202647%39%46%83
Math, grades 3–5: share at the top two levels
SpringPierce Academy of the ArtsSierra Sands UnifiedCaliforniaTested here
201739%37%40%163
201834%38%42%201
201932%44%44%190
202213%30%38%160
202318%34%40%174
202416%35%41%163
202530%37%41%150
202634%34%42%83

Tests

How did students here do on state tests?

Near California in English; below it in math.

English

47%

scored Proficient or Advanced.

40132720
Sierra Sands Unified39%California46%

Math

34%

scored Proficient or Advanced.

36302410
Sierra Sands Unified34%California42%
MinimalDeveloping levelProficientAdvanced

In grades 3–5, spring 2026, 47% scored Proficient or Advanced in English and 34% in math, against 46% and 42% across California.

The state published these results on October 15, 2026. What changed across California. Spring 2026, grades 3–5 combined. From spring 2026, the state calls its top two levels “Proficient or Advanced” (formerly “Met or Exceeded”). Source: California Department of Education, state tests (CAASPP).

How does math compare with English?

In grades 3–5, spring 2026, math trails English by 13 percentage points in the share who scored Proficient or Advanced, against 4 points across California. The grades 3–5 cards above give each subject’s share.

How does grade 6 do?

In grade 6, spring 2026, 31% scored Proficient or Advanced in English and 12% in math, against 48% and 37% across California. Fewer than 30 students tested, so one year’s result can change a lot. Ask how results looked in other years.

English

31%

scored Proficient or Advanced.

383127
Sierra Sands Unified38%California48%

Math

12%

scored Proficient or Advanced.

50388
Sierra Sands Unified28%California37%
Results for each grade, spring 2026

What each level means: California's level descriptions.

English

English, grades 3–5: share of students tested, spring 2026
MeasureGrade 3Grade 4Grade 5
Proficient or Advanced48%57%35%
Advanced15%33%12%
Proficient33%24%23%
Developing level11%13%15%
Minimal41%30%50%
Tested273026
California44%46%49%
Difference+4+11−14
English, grade 6: share of students tested, spring 2026
MeasureGrade 6
Proficient or Advanced31%
Advanced4%
Proficient27%
Developing level31%
Minimal38%
Tested26
California48%
Difference−17

California is CDE’s statewide English row for each grade, counting every student tested there; the comparisons in the chapters combine these rows for their grades, weighted by students tested (our calculation).

Math

Math, grades 3–5: share of students tested, spring 2026
MeasureGrade 3Grade 4Grade 5
Proficient or Advanced41%40%19%
Advanced7%10%12%
Proficient34%30%7%
Developing level37%27%27%
Minimal22%33%54%
Tested273026
California47%42%37%
Difference−6−2−18
Math, grade 6: share of students tested, spring 2026
MeasureGrade 6
Proficient or Advanced12%
Advanced4%
Proficient8%
Developing level38%
Minimal50%
Tested26
California37%
Difference−25

California is CDE’s statewide math row for each grade, counting every student tested there; the comparisons in the chapters combine these rows for their grades, weighted by students tested (our calculation).

A grade the school doesn't teach has no row. “Suppressed” marks a result CDE blanks because fewer than 11 students tested (CDE’s reporting rule); “none tested” marks a grade CDE lists with no students tested; “not on file” marks a result missing from the records we hold. None of them means zero.

All four test levels, with the number of students tested
Share of students tested at each level, spring 2026. The state’s test levels Advanced, Proficient, the Developing level (formerly Nearly met) and Minimal.
StudentsAdvancedProficientDeveloping levelMinimalTested
English, grades 3–5 · This school20%27%13%40%83
English, grades 3–5 · California24%22%21%33%1,208,894
English, grades 3–5 · Sierra Sands Unified17%22%23%38%1,000
Math, grades 3–5 · This school10%24%30%36%83
Math, grades 3–5 · California21%21%25%33%1,211,701
Math, grades 3–5 · Sierra Sands Unified13%21%31%35%1,002
English, grade 6 · This school4%27%31%38%26
English, grade 6 · California20%28%24%28%415,439
English, grade 6 · Sierra Sands Unified10%28%27%35%358
Math, grade 6 · This school4%8%38%50%26
Math, grade 6 · California21%16%25%38%415,904
Math, grade 6 · Sierra Sands Unified16%12%28%44%358

Spring 2026, grades 3–5 combined: 83 tested in English, 83 tested in math. California combines the state’s results for the same grades, weighted by students tested (our calculation).

Who goes here

Who goes here?

Hispanic or Latino students are the largest group here, at 40% of students. 48 of 206 students missed 10% or more of school days.

Missing school, 2025–26

23in 100

students were chronically absent. That means they missed 10% or more of school days (48 of 206 students).

At the average Sierra Sands Unified elementary school: 22 in 100. At the average California elementary school: 17 in 100.

Suspensions: 5.0% of students were suspended at least once (11 of 218). Average California elementary school 1.6%.

Students, 2024–25

297

students in grades TK–6.

Hispanic or Latino 40%White 34%Black or African American 15%Two or more races 7%

Family income

82%

of students qualified for free or reduced-price meals in 2024–25, 244 of 297. California: 63%.

Teachers, 2024–25

17

teachers, with 12 years of experience on average.

12% were in their first year.

86% of teaching positions had the right credential, 2021–22.

English learners

62%

of English learners moved up at least one level on the state’s English test (ELPAC), or stayed at the top, spring 2025 to spring 2026 (8 of 13 students).

Sierra Sands Unified: 38%. California: 47%.

It counts students moving up the test’s levels, so a student can count here before becoming fluent. Sources: California Department of Education and the California School Dashboard. Each tile names its year.

Full student mix, 2025–26
StudentsHere
Hispanic or Latino40%
White34%
Black or African American15%
Two or more races7%
Asian—
Filipino—
American Indian or Alaska Native—
Pacific Islander—
Not reported—
Where these figures come from

Attendance and suspensions: California Department of Education, 2025–26. Student mix: the students the state’s attendance file counts, 2025–26; a dash means our records hold no count. English learner progress: California School Dashboard, 2026 . Student count: California Department of Education enrollment, 2024–25. Teachers: California Department of Education staffing files, 2024–25.

Teaching credentials: California’s School Accountability Report Card, 2024–25, measured in 2021–22: 12.6 of 14.6 full-time teaching positions. It counts positions, not individual teachers.

Student groups

How do kids like mine do here?

Low-income students scored well below the same group across California in math.

This schoolThe same group, California
  • Low-incomeEnglish · 80 tested33%California 36%
  • Low-incomeMath · 80 tested19%California 30%
  • Hispanic or LatinoEnglish · 31 tested42%California 37%
  • Hispanic or LatinoMath · 31 tested19%California 31%

19% of low-income students scored Proficient or Advanced in math (grades 3–6, spring 2026), against 30% for the same group across California.

Share who scored Proficient or Advanced, grades 3–6, spring 2026. Each group is compared with the same group in the same grades. Source: California Department of Education, state tests (CAASPP).

Every group’s results, with the district

Low-income is the state’s “socioeconomically disadvantaged” group.

Proficient or Advancedgrades 3–6 · spring 2026
Group and subjectHerevs Sierra Sands Unifiedvs California
Low-income · 80 tested
English33%+429%−336%
Math19%−423%−1130%
Hispanic or Latino · 31 tested · grades 3 and 5 only
English42%+834%+537%
Math19%−726%−1231%

Each gap is to the same group, grades and subject: in Sierra Sands Unified, and across California. No group that is behind across California does 10 or more points better here.

White students, 34 tested: no rate for grades 3, 5 and 6 in our records, and fewer than 30 tested in the grades with one. Students with disabilities, 36 tested: no rate for grades 3, 5 and 6 in our records, and fewer than 30 tested in the grades with one. No published rate here for Asian, Black or African American, Filipino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Pacific Islander, homeless and military-family students, students of two or more races, English learners and foster youth. That can reflect privacy rules or small numbers; it isn’t evidence of a gap. This table covers groups by income, race or ethnicity, language and disability; girls and boys aren’t split out.

Family and staff answers

What would families and staff tell you?

Families can answer a short set of questions about Pierce Academy of the Arts. These are not star ratings or reviews.

  1. Family answers show once 20 families have answered.Until then this page shows how many have answered.
  2. The questions are about the school, never a person.No question asks about a named teacher or staff member.
  3. Answers are never part of the Scope Score.They sit beside the state’s records and do not change a school’s score.

Families

No family answers yet

0 of 20 needed before answers show

  • Does the school tell you how your child is doing, in a way you understand, before report cards arrive?Usually · Sometimes · Rarely
  • When you contact the school with a question, do you hear back within two school days?Usually · Sometimes · Rarely · Haven’t contacted them
  • Can you get school information in the language you read best?Yes · Mostly · No
  • And 4 more questions.

Answer the family questionsResponder en españolHow family answers work

Staff

Staff can’t answer for this school yet

We don’t check staff emails for Sierra Sands Unified yet. Tell us your district’s email domain and we’ll work on adding it.

Ask us to add your district

The school day

What is the school day like?

Pierce Academy of the Arts has transitional kindergarten (TK). Our records do not hold school hours or before- and after-school care yet. Ask the office.

Transitional kindergarten (TK), 2025–26

11

TK students in 2025–26.

TK is California’s free public program for four-year-olds.

TK count: California Department of Education, Census Day enrollment, 2025–26. Find TK schools near you

Money

Where does the money go?

$18,174 for each student in 2024–25. California’s elementary schools spent $20,288 for each student. Sierra Sands Unified’s plan for 2026–27 covers $9 million.

$18,174

for each student at this school, 2024–25
Spent at the school
$9,598
The school’s share of district office costs
$8,576
Of the total, from federal funds
$1,031
  • Pierce Academy of the Arts$18,174
  • Sierra Sands Unified elementary schools$16,875
  • California elementary schools$20,288

The district and California figures combine their elementary schools, weighted by enrollment (our calculation, 5,053 California schools). Spending does not show how well money is used. Source: California Department of Education, per-school spending report, 2024–25. Funding records ↓

Sierra Sands Unified’s yearly plan

$9million

in the district’s plan for 2026–27

$8million

planned for services for English learners, low-income students and foster youth

This is the district’s plan. It is not this school’s own budget. The plan has 7 goals. The district’s page lists each one. The plan covers $9 million of $93 million in total budgeted spending. Source: Sierra Sands Unified Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), 2026–27. Read the district’s plan →

The neighborhood

What is the area around Pierce Academy of the Arts like?

These figures are for everyone who lives in ZIP code 93555. They are not figures for the families at Pierce Academy of the Arts.

Typical household income in a year

$86,700

Typical means half are higher and half are lower. The ZIP code is the school’s address, not its attendance area. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020–2024, ZIP code area 93555.

Typical home value
$252,900
People who live in this ZIP code
33,845
Typical age
34.9 years
Adults 25 and older with a four-year college degree
30%

What you can do

Who can act on Pierce Academy of the Arts’ results?

The state has Pierce Academy of the Arts in extra targeted support; Sierra Sands Unified’s board decides its plan.

How to take part

  1. Watch the board’s agenda: the hearing is posted at least 72 hours ahead.
  2. Send written comments on the actions and spending the plan proposes.
  3. Raise questions through the district’s parent advisory committee; the superintendent must answer its comments in writing.
  4. Read the midyear report, due by February 28.

What has the state flagged?

2025–26 is its 3rd year in a row in this support. The state named it because results were low for Black or African American students. This support comes with a school improvement plan, which must use approaches with evidence behind them and look at how money and staff are divided among schools. Ask the principal to see the school improvement plan.

Federal designation under the Every Student Succeeds Act, 2025–26. Source 

Extra state help for the district

The state is giving Sierra Sands Unified extra help in 2026. It qualified on the 2025 California School Dashboard. The county office must help the district for at least three years, including a review of its yearly plan.

Extra help for Sierra Sands Unified: CDE’s assistance status file for the 2025 California School Dashboard. Source 

Reading screening in kindergarten through grade 2

California law requires schools to screen kindergartners through second graders for reading difficulties every year, with some exceptions. You get notice at least 15 days before, results within 45 days, and can opt out in writing.

Kindergartners can’t be screened before the 91st school day; transitional kindergarten isn’t covered.

If screening shows your child may be at risk for reading difficulties, the school must provide supports. That result isn’t a diagnosis, and screening can’t be used to delay a special-education evaluation.

Ask how many K–2 students screening found at risk last year, and how many got extra reading help.

California Education Code § 53008. Source 

Questions to ask

What should I ask, and when?

Bring these 5 questions to Pierce Academy of the Arts. Confirm anything about applying with the school itself.

On a tour

  1. What does the school try before a suspension, and who talks with the family?5.0% suspended at least once, 2025–26 (11 of 218 students); average California elementary school: 1.6%
  2. What changes for a student who falls behind in English?3 points lower in English than California students who had the same score the year before, grades 4–6, 2025 (91 students)
  3. What are the school-day hours and after-school care options?

At the office

  1. What time does the day start and end, and is any day shorter?
  2. Is there care before or after school, and what does it cost?

Getting in

What comes after Pierce Academy of the Arts, and how do I get in?

Ask Sierra Sands Unified which school serves your address.

  1. Elementary · this school
    Pierce Academy of the Arts
    Grades TK–6Scope Score 73Developing · 35th percentile
  2. Middle
    China Lake Junior High
    Scope Score 70Needs Support · 20th percentile · 2026Its zone mostly overlaps this school’s zone on a historical federal map (2015–16)
  3. High
    Sherman E. Burroughs High
    Scope Score 72Developing · 36th percentile · 2025Inferred through another school · underlying source period unavailable; not a direct feeder

These links come from past records and from distance. Confirm your child’s school with the district. Each school’s standing compares it with California schools at its own level. Explore schools on the map

All recorded links and nearby alternatives

Middle-school links

  • China Lake Junior High

    Its zone mostly overlaps this school’s zone on a historical federal map (2015–16)

    Scope Score 70 · Needs Support · 20th percentile · middle · 2026

    100% historical overlap of origin attendance-zone area · not a share of students

High-school links

  • Sherman E. Burroughs High

    Inferred through another school · underlying source period unavailable; not a direct feeder

    Scope Score 72 · Developing · 36th percentile · high · 2025

Links do not guarantee placement. Charter, magnet, transfer and other admission routes can differ. Each school’s percentile compares it with California schools at its own level (continuation and alternative schools only with their own kind); the stages are not one ranking. Older zone links come from the federal School Attendance Boundary Survey (NCES SABS).

Where the path ends: Sherman E. Burroughs High
Sherman E. Burroughs HighScope Score 72 · Developing · 36th percentile · 2025estimated path

An inferred path through a middle-school overlap points to Sherman E. Burroughs High. UC records 9 enrollees from Sherman E. Burroughs High for fall 2025. The AP Course Audit lists 16 AP courses its teachers are authorized to teach in 2025–26. Those figures come from dated records. If a child starting here today later attended Sherman E. Burroughs High, that would be around 2036, and a school can change a lot in 10 years. By the state’s 2023 count, 48% of the students who finished high school at Sherman E. Burroughs High enrolled in college within 12 months, UC or not.

9 UC enrollees (fall 2025) · 16 authorized AP courses (AP Course Audit 2025–26) → full record on Sherman E. Burroughs High's page
Source: UC & College Board AP Course Ledger

Where it is

Where is Pierce Academy of the Arts?

Address
674 North Gold Canyon, Ridgecrest 93555Get directions (opens Google Maps in a new tab)
Administrator
Dulce BacaAs the state’s school directory lists it, last updated July 8, 2025.

A school’s place on the map is its address in the state directory. It does not show which homes the school serves. See nearby schools on the map

Short answers to 7 common questions

How do I get in?

Ask Sierra Sands Unified which school serves your address. See the details ↓

Is Pierce Academy of the Arts a good elementary school?

Pierce Academy of the Arts has a Scope Score of 73. It scored higher than 35 in 100 of California’s 5,726 scored public elementary schools (Developing, 35th percentile, spring 2026). See the details ↓

How often do students miss school or get suspended?

In 2025–26, 23 in 100 students missed 10% or more of school days, against 22 in 100 at the average Sierra Sands Unified elementary school. 5.0% of students (11 of 218) were suspended at least once in 2025–26, against 1.6% at the average California elementary school. See the details ↓

Did students here score higher than students who started at the same place?

About the same, in both subjects. In 2025, students here in grades 4–6 scored 3 points lower in English than California students who had the same score the year before. The state calls that Average. In math, they scored 2 points higher, which the state calls Average.

  • Included in this measure: 91 students

See the details ↓

How do kids like mine do here?

In spring 2026, 33% of low-income students in grades 3–6 at Pierce Academy of the Arts in Ridgecrest scored Proficient or Advanced in English, against 36% for the same group across California. See the details ↓

Where does it lead?

In the 2015–16 federal attendance-boundary survey, most of Pierce Academy of the Arts's attendance area fell inside the attendance area of China Lake Junior High. Boundaries come from the U.S. Department of Education’s School Attendance Boundary Survey, a 2015-16 collection and the most recent national one — they are approximate and may since have changed. A boundary doesn’t guarantee placement; confirm your address with the district.

  • China Lake Junior High: Scope Score 70, Needs Support, 20th percentile among California’s regular public and charter middle schools, 2026 results

See the details ↓

What should I ask on a visit?

The questions drawn from this page are under Questions to ask, ready to copy. See the details ↓

The full record

Source records

This page is built from 12 sets of records from public data sources. Every figure keeps its source, grades, year and count.

Data updated

October 15, 2026

Record sets on this page
12
Sources
California Department of EducationU.S. Census Bureau
State test years
2017–2026

Results

Students

Money and staff

Place, downloads and method

Score factorssource values, index and weights · 2025–26 · ranked #3,669 of 5,726 California elementary schools we score · #3 of 7 in Sierra Sands Unified
Score factors, 2025–26
FactorSchoolIndexWeight
Advancedaverage of English and math15%4442%
Proficient or Advancedaverage of English and math40%4823%
Chronically absent23 in 100415%
Suspension rate5.0% (11 of 218)265%
English learners: top level7%375%
Grade gap (G3→G5, different students)-17.5pp—not scored

Index is where the school's value sits among the California elementary schools we score, from 0 to 100, where 50 is their average; it is not a percentile. School values are from 2025–26. Chronic absence and suspension are CDE's all-students school rates; the score uses an adjusted version of each that pulls small schools toward the average, so their index can sit nearer 50 than the rate suggests. The weights above add to 80%: the remaining 20%, for measures with no value here, is shared out among the measures above.

Scope Score by year2018–19 to 2025–26 · each year’s inputs, and the score for each year we could verify

Scope Score

School yearScope ScorePercentileRankComparison group
2025–267335#3669California elementary schools · 5,726 schools · current formula

2018–19, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24 and 2024–25 have records on file but no Scope Score we could verify against that year’s source files, so no score is shown for them.

School yearChronic absenceSuspensionGrade gap (points)
2018–1911 in 1004.4% (19 of 427)−3
2021–22not on filenot on file+18
2022–23not on filenot on file−10
2023–2433 in 10010.0% (38 of 380)−21
2024–2538 in 1008.3% (30 of 363)−12
2025–2623 in 1005.0% (11 of 218)−18

Chronic absence and suspension are CDE’s all-students school rates for each year.

Grade gap: the same year’s grade 3 and grade 5 results, side by side. They are different children, so the gap describes one year, not any child’s progress. The Scope Score’s growth measure is a different comparison, shown in Score factors above (how it’s built).
No 2019–20 or 2020–21 records in this SchoolScope series
Every tested year2017–2026 · rates, tested counts, and each grade

English and math by test year · all tested grades

Year · subjectStudents with scoresTop levelTop two levels
2026 · English10917%43%
2026 · Math1098%28%
2025 · English14913%30%
2025 · Math15010%30%
2024 · English1619%19%
2024 · Math1636%16%
2023 · English1739%20%
2023 · Math1745%18%
2022 · English1607%24%
2022 · Math1602%13%
2019 · English19112%36%
2019 · Math1909%32%
2018 · English20116%36%
2018 · Math20114%34%
2017 · English16318%38%
2017 · Math16318%39%

Each year names its school year end (2026 = 2025–26). “Students with scores” counts each subject on its own, so don’t add the English and math counts together. A dash is unavailable, not zero.

Earlier years · grade and subject

Year · grade · subjectStudents with scoresMet or exceeded
2025 · Grade 3 · English4335%
2025 · Grade 4 · English5127%
2025 · Grade 5 · English5527%
2025 · Grade 3 · Math4434%
2025 · Grade 4 · Math5139%
2025 · Grade 5 · Math5518%
2024 · Grade 3 · English4630%
2024 · Grade 4 · English6316%
2024 · Grade 5 · English5213%
2024 · Grade 3 · Math4726%
2024 · Grade 4 · Math6322%
2024 · Grade 5 · Math530%
2023 · Grade 3 · English6226%
2023 · Grade 4 · English5914%
2023 · Grade 5 · English5221%
2023 · Grade 3 · Math6329%
2023 · Grade 4 · Math5912%
2023 · Grade 5 · Math5213%
2022 · Grade 3 · English6115%
2022 · Grade 4 · English5325%
2022 · Grade 5 · English4637%
2022 · Grade 3 · Math618%
2022 · Grade 4 · Math5311%
2022 · Grade 5 · Math4622%
2019 · Grade 3 · English5836%
2019 · Grade 4 · English8237%
2019 · Grade 5 · English5135%
2019 · Grade 3 · Math5735%
2019 · Grade 4 · Math8230%
2019 · Grade 5 · Math5129%
2018 · Grade 3 · English8040%
2018 · Grade 4 · English5525%
2018 · Grade 5 · English6641%
2018 · Grade 3 · Math8040%
2018 · Grade 4 · Math5630%
2018 · Grade 5 · Math6529%
2017 · Grade 3 · English3928%
2017 · Grade 4 · English6128%
2017 · Grade 5 · English6354%
2017 · Grade 3 · Math3944%
2017 · Grade 4 · Math6136%
2017 · Grade 5 · Math6340%

Current 2025–26 grade results are under Academic achievement, in Results for each grade. “Students with scores” counts the students tested in that grade, subject and year. A missing result is not zero, and each year’s row is a different group of children.

Science (CAST)schoolwide · spring 2026
Science (CAST)TestedAdvancedProficientDeveloping levelMinimal
Schoolwide264%15%46%35%

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.

Student groups: test resultsEnglish · spring 2026 · against the same group in the district and California
Group · EnglishTestedProficient or Advancedvs districtvs California
Low-income8033%+4−3
Hispanic or Latino (grades 3 and 5 only)3142%+8+5
Student groups: the state’s growth measureCalifornia School Dashboard 2025 · points above or below what the state expected · shown, not part of the score
GroupEnglishnCDE categoryMathnCDE category
All students−391Average+291Average
English-only students−478not categorized078not categorized
Low-income−572Average+172Average
Hispanic or Latino−138Average+738Accelerated
Students with disabilities−434Average034Average
White−934Moderate−534Average
Black or African American+411Average+1911Accelerated

CDE reports scale-score points against the state’s expected score — not a percentage or percentile. The table keeps the group records SchoolScope imported for this school, including rows below our narrative display threshold. Muted rows have fewer than 30 students with a valid growth score. SchoolScope uses that threshold for the shorter narrative view; the reported values stay visible here. “Not categorized” means this imported CDE row has a growth value without a performance category. At least one estimate here is a CDE weighted estimate; that describes how CDE combines years, not a year-over-year trend. A group absent from this table has no imported record shown here. Its absence alone does not establish its size or performance. CDE growth covers grades 4–8; here that is grades 4–6. SchoolScope does not use these CDE figures in its Scope Score.

Growth recordsthe state’s student-by-student measure
California growth model · points vs expected

State model · English−3 pts vs expected

matched students, grades 4–6

CDE California growth model · 2025 Dashboard

Weighted school estimate; assessments from 2022–23, 2023–24, and 2024–25

All students, grades 4–6

91 students

CDE growth category: Average

California growth model, English: −3 scale-score points versus the state's expectation, CDE category Average, against SchoolScope's +2-point median for California elementary school records.

State model · math+2 pts vs expected

matched students, grades 4–6

CDE California growth model · 2025 Dashboard

Weighted school estimate; assessments from 2022–23, 2023–24, and 2024–25

All students, grades 4–6

91 students

CDE growth category: Average

California growth model, math: +2 scale-score points versus the state's expectation, CDE category Average, against SchoolScope's +2-point median for California elementary school records.

Source notes. CDE reports scale-score points against the state’s expected score for matched students, never a percentage. Among SchoolScope's retained California elementary school records, the median English estimate is +2 and the middle half fall between −5 and +9 scale-score points — the spread is wide, so read the figure against it, not its sign alone. CDE's 2025 Dashboard weighted school estimate uses assessments from 2022–23, 2023–24, and 2024–25; adjacent reporting editions should not be read as independent annual changes. The CDE measure covers grades 4–8; here that is grades 4–6, and it is not part of the Scope Score.

Attendance and suspensionsState records · this school and each student group · 2018–19 and 2025–26

CDE’s all-students school rates for 2024–25 and 2025–26; the change is the difference between the two rates as printed.

Year-over-year school rates
Chronic absenteeism2024–25 · 38 in 100 → 2025–26 · 23 in 100 · −15 in 100
Suspension rate2024–25 · 8.3% (30 of 363) → 2025–26 · 5.0% (11 of 218) · −3.3 percentage points
Group2018–192025–26Change
Female9 in 10018 in 100+9 in 100
Male13 in 10028 of 94—
Black or African American12 of 4712 of 31—
Hispanic or Latino9 in 10025 of 82—
Two or more races2 of 160 of 14—
White10 in 10010 of 71—
Students with disabilities12 of 7821 of 67—
English learners6 of 707 of 17—
Low-income13 in 10030 in 100+17 in 100
All students11 in 10023 in 100+12 in 100
Homeless—3 of 11—

Two reported school years only; no intervening-year result is implied. Where fewer than 100 students were counted, the cell shows the count and no change is printed. Source: CDE school-level chronic absenteeism by student group.

Fundingschool and district spending, from state and federal finance records · each row names its fiscal year and measure

Per-pupil spending

District · current expense$13,508 per pupil

NCES F-33 · FY 2020–21 (2021) · fall district membership: 4,950 pupils

California · selected district mean$14,491 per pupil

NCES F-33 · FY 2020–21 (2021) · SchoolScope’s unweighted mean across 818 selected California district finance records

School-level federal expenditures$445 per pupil

CDE ESSA · school-attributed per-pupil record · FY 2024–25 (2025) · source denominator: 297

Central federal expenditures attributed here$586 per pupil

CDE ESSA · central expenditures attributed to this school · FY 2024–25 (2025) · source denominator: 297

District current expense · FY 2024–25$19,178 per ADA

CDE SACS Current Expense of Education · district fiscal year ending 2025 · average daily attendance denominator

These figures are not directly comparable: school ESSA attributed spending and NCES district current expense use different measures and populations. Their fiscal years are labeled above.

How the California mean was selected

SchoolScope starts with its selected California finance records, not every NCES California district. For FY 2020–21, it calculates an unweighted mean of NCES F-33 current expense per pupil. District records contribute once, regardless of enrollment. The calculation keeps records with positive per-pupil current expense, enrollment over 100, CCD agency type 1, and a recorded district name; it excludes names ending in County Office of Education, Department of Education, or Superintendent of Schools. This is a SchoolScope calculation, not a state-published spending average.

Selected General Fund operating costs · FY 2024–⁠25 · SchoolScope calculation
Instruction 57%Instruction support 12%Student services 11%Administration 8%Buildings & maintenance 11%Other 1%
The arithmetic behind these shares · FY 2024–25
GroupDollarsShare, to two decimalsPrinted
Instruction$49,700,94857.61%57%
Instruction support$10,053,57411.65%12%
Student services$9,958,29711.54%11%
Administration$6,678,1517.74%8%
Buildings & maintenance$9,263,60910.74%11%
Other$612,7730.71%1%
Total$86,267,352100.00%100%

These shares are our arithmetic: each group’s dollars divided by the $86,267,352 total of the groups shown, rounded to whole percents by largest remainder so they add up to 100. Dollar amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar, so they can differ from the total by a dollar. SchoolScope groups district-level CDE SACS UserGL actuals from Fund 01, using operating objects 1000–5999 and excluding retiree benefits, food and community services, facilities acquisition, other outgo, and nonagency goals. These shares use that filtered total; they do not exactly break down CDE's official current expense per ADA above. The school-level ESSA figure uses a separate source.

NCES F-33 district fiscal-year history, 2017–⁠2021; latest district record shown: 2021
2021$13,508 per pupil
2020$12,643 per pupil
2019$12,280 per pupil
2018$10,915 per pupil
2017$10,902 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

Staffing recordsstate teacher credential-and-placement and district salary records · each for its own year

Additional workforce records

Properly assigned intern credential holders6.8%

CDE 2024–25 SARC, Teacher Preparation and Placement table; measured school year 2021–22. Share of reported school teaching-position full-time equivalents assigned to properly assigned intern credential holders. A reported 0.0% is shown; unavailable rates are omitted. This is a position share, not a count of current teachers or of emergency permits.

The surrounding ZIP codeCensus Bureau survey, 2020–2024 · ZIP 93555 · not the school’s students
American Community Survey 5-year estimates · 2020–2024 · ZIP 93555 area
MeasureEstimate
Median household income$86,700
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)30%
ZIP-area population33,845
Median age34.9 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020–2024 5-year estimates. Median household income covers the past 12 months and is reported in 2024 inflation-adjusted dollars. Bachelor's degree or higher uses adults age 25 and over as its population. A dash is unavailable, not zero; a reported zero remains zero. ZIP-area figures do not establish the school's attendance area or describe its enrolled students. These figures are not part of the Scope Score. See all schools in ZIP code 93555 →

Downloads, embed and methodologyCSV · embed code · sources · corrections

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Data sources: public data sources, including the California Department of Education · state tests (CAASPP) 2025–26 · Scope Score from 2025–26 results, compared across 5,726 elementary schools · attendance and suspensions by student group from 2018–19 and 2025–26 · district finance for the year each row names · Census survey (ACS) 2020–2024 · Data updated October 15, 2026

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