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School Profile · San Fernando

PUC Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.

PUC Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy posts 32% meeting the standard and 8.2% exceeding it, against 39% and 16.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

1218 North Fourth Street, 91340 (opens in new tab)·Los Angeles Unified·San Fernando·Grades 6-8·351 students·90% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(818) 256-1951·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
29
🌱 Building Momentum · Needs Support
ranked #1,593 statewide · #168 of 226 in Los Angeles Unified

PUC Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy scores 29 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 29th percentile of 2,238 California middle 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 “32% proficient” and call it done. PUC Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy deserves a closer read. The school sits in San Fernando, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The headline number: 0.4% suspension rate — versus 3.7% statewide.

As a charter, PUC Nueva Esperanza Charter 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 2024–25

Different students, same year — each bar is one grade's proficiency mix.

8%
33%
59%
Grade 6 · 41% proficient
11%
36%
53%
Grade 7 · 47% proficient
8%
30%
62%
Grade 8 · 38% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding holds steady across grades; the floor slips 2.7pp. The state average falls 0.5pp over the same span. A school visit and conversation with teachers will tell you more than this number.

The 5 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
8.2%
State 16.8%
8.6pp below state avg
Met or exceeded
32.5%
State 39.3%
6.8pp below state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
-5.4pp
State +1.5pp
Scores decline across grades
Chronic absenteeism
30.0%
State 18.5%
11.5pp above state avg
Suspension rate
0.4%
State 3.7%
3.2pp below state avg
Worth a school visit

Ask what the school is working on next. Strong numbers tell you where a school is, not where it's going.

Where the path goes

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

K-12 Feeder Path

Estimated path based on proximity within the same district. Contact your school district for official feeder information.

Your other options

All schools in San Fernando →

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 Score

Student demographics

Hispanic96.9%
White1.7%
Asian0.6%
Black0.3%
Other0.6%
GenderFemale 55.8%Male 44.2%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 90.0% (26pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
351
509 below CA avg (~860)
Student-Teacher Ratio
23:1
2 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$18,180
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
Teacher Salary Range
$60,420 – $122,706
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At PUC Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy in San Fernando, 42.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 40.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. PUC Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 1.6 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (24.0% Math proficient); Hispanic students (41.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 38.2 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 313 students tested.
Equity Gaps
ELA · English Learner−38.2pp
3.3% vs 41.5% overall · n=31
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · English Learner−8.8pp
0.0% vs 8.8% overall · n=31
Math · English Learner−23.4pp
0.0% vs 23.4% overall · n=31
Math Exceeded · English Learner−7.6pp
0.0% vs 7.6% overall · n=31

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

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income313 tested
ELA 42.5%·Math 24.0%· +1.6pp vs district
Hispanic345 tested
ELA 41.2%·Math 23.8%· +0.1pp vs district
Disabilities66 tested
ELA 19.7%·Math 10.6%· +3.6pp 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 falls by 2.9pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: -0.3pp.

Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 55%Support 40%Other 4%

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

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$85K
$261 above CA median
Median Home Value
$662K
$3K above CA median
Bachelor's+
14%
21pp 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
7.0 years avg experience
19 teachers · 11% first-year
Teacher Credentials
80% 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 nerds

Every number on this page

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

01Score factorsWeighted composite · 2024–25
Exceeded standard · 43%
8.2%
↓ vs CA 16.8% · 40th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
32.5%
↓ vs CA 39.3% · 45th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 15%
-5.4pp
↓ vs CA +1.5pp · 41th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
30.0%
↓ vs CA 18.5% · 34th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.4%
↑ vs CA 3.7% · 63th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 61198%33%28%32%40%−6
Grade 711811%36%32%21%47%−1
Grade 81178%30%26%37%38%−8
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 61199%16%30%45%25%−10
Grade 71188%19%30%42%28%−6
Grade 81175%12%21%62%17%−15
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/111172%16%76%6%

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 Disadvantaged31342.5%+2+4
Hispanic/Latino34541.2%+0+2
Students with Disabilities6619.7%+4+3
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
PUC Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy ←—298.2%32.5%−5.40.4%
Olive Vista Middle1.8 mi4015.0%34.2%+3.50.4%
Pacoima Middle2.7 mi3312.4%31.8%−3.00.7%
PUC Inspire Charter Academy2 mi318.7%24.1%+7.40.2%
California average—4016.8%39.3%+1.53.7%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
31%29%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #1487 → #1067 → #1395 → #1251 → #1593
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,238 middle 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

How to get into a charter school in LA →

Frequently asked questions

Is PUC Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy a good middle school?
PUC Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy has a Scope Score of 29 out of 100, placing it in the 29th percentile of California middle schools and ranked #1,593 statewide. 8.2% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 8.6 percentage points below the California average of 16.8%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for middle 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 PUC Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 32.5% of students at PUC Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 8.2% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 24.3% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 8.2% 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. 708 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does PUC Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy rank in California?
PUC Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy ranks #1,593 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 29th percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 6 to grade 8 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 PUC Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at PUC Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy decreases by 5.4 percentage points from Grade 6 to grade 8 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 middle 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 PUC Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy?
30.0% of students at PUC Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 18.5%. The suspension rate is 0.4%, indicating a low-discipline-incident environment. 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 PUC Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy compare to other schools in San Fernando?
PUC Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy scores 29/100 (29th percentile) among California middle 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 351 students. Use the schools in San Fernando page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does PUC Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At PUC Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy in San Fernando, 42.5% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 40.9% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. PUC Nueva Esperanza Charter Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 1.6 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (24.0% Math proficient); Hispanic students (41.2% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 38.2 percentage points for english learner students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 313 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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