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School Profile · Richmond

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

Richmond Charter Academy posts 32% meeting the standard and 11.6% exceeding it, against 39% and 16.8% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

1450 Marina Way South, 94804 (opens in new tab)·West Contra Costa Unified·Richmond·Grades 6-8·296 students·82% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(510) 235-2465·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
45
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #883 statewide · #3 of 11 in West Contra Costa Unified

Richmond Charter Academy scores 45 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 61st 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 →

Most rating sites would stop at “32% proficient” and call it done. Richmond Charter Academy deserves a closer read. The school sits in Richmond, where four in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

As a charter, Richmond 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.

17%
25%
58%
Grade 6 · 42% proficient
17%
34%
49%
Grade 7 · 51% proficient
9%
36%
55%
Grade 8 · 45% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding falls 7.7pp across grades; the floor rises 3.3pp. 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
11.6%
State 16.8%
5.2pp below state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
-1.2pp
State +1.5pp
Scores decline across grades
Met or exceeded
32.2%
State 39.3%
7.1pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
22.2%
State 18.5%
3.7pp above state avg
Suspension rate
3.0%
State 3.7%
0.6pp 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

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

Hispanic91.2%
White2.4%
Asian0.3%
Black4.0%
Other2.0%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 82.1% (18pp above CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
296
564 below CA avg (~860)
Student-Teacher Ratio
37:1
16 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$15,242
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
Teacher Salary Range
$58,573 – $119,395
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Richmond Charter Academy in Richmond, 43.0% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 23.3% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Richmond Charter Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 19.7 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (13.5% Math proficient); Hispanic students (45.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 46.3 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 237 students tested.
Equity Gaps
ELA · Disabilities−46.3pp
0.0% vs 46.3% overall · n=16
3 more gaps by subject
ELA Exceeded · Disabilities−14.6pp
0.0% vs 14.6% overall · n=16
Math · Disabilities−18.2pp
0.0% vs 18.2% overall · n=16
Math Exceeded · Disabilities−8.6pp
0.0% vs 8.6% overall · n=16

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

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income237 tested
ELA 43.0%·Math 13.5%· +19.7pp vs district
Hispanic255 tested
ELA 45.5%·Math 16.9%· +24.0pp vs district
English Learner104 tested
ELA 18.3%·Math 2.9%· +14.1pp 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 3.5pp from grade 6 to grade 8 at this school. District average: -7.0pp.

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

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 51%Support 40%Other 8%

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

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$91K
$6K above CA median
Median Home Value
$632K
$27K below CA median
Bachelor's+
33%
2pp 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
2.3 years avg experience
8 teachers · 25% first-year · 50% second-year
Teacher Credentials
21% 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 →

Frequently asked questions

Is Richmond Charter Academy a good middle school?
Richmond Charter Academy has a Scope Score of 45 out of 100, placing it in the 61st percentile of California middle schools and ranked #883 statewide. 11.6% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 5.2 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 Richmond Charter Academy's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 32.2% of students at Richmond Charter Academy met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 11.6% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 20.6% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 11.6% 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. 562 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Richmond Charter Academy rank in California?
Richmond Charter Academy ranks #883 among California middle schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 61st 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 Richmond Charter Academy getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Richmond Charter Academy decreases by 1.2 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 Richmond Charter Academy?
22.2% of students at Richmond Charter Academy are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 18.5%. The suspension rate is 3.0%. 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 Richmond Charter Academy compare to other schools in Richmond?
Richmond Charter Academy scores 45/100 (61st 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 296 students. Use the schools in Richmond page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does Richmond Charter Academy serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Richmond Charter Academy in Richmond, 43.0% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 23.3% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Richmond Charter Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 19.7 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (13.5% Math proficient); Hispanic students (45.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 46.3 percentage points for disabilities students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 237 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.

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 · 38%
11.6%
↓ vs CA 16.8% · 44th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 27%
-1.2pp
↓ vs CA +1.5pp · 69th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
32.2%
↓ vs CA 39.3% · 44th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
22.2%
↓ vs CA 18.5% · 45th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
3.0%
↑ vs CA 3.7% · 53th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 69317%25%23%35%42%−5
Grade 79317%34%17%31%52%+4
Grade 8959%36%32%23%45%−1
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 69312%9%23%57%20%−15
Grade 79311%9%27%54%19%−15
Grade 8953%12%27%58%15%−18
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11942%12%66%20%

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 Disadvantaged23743.0%+20+5
Hispanic/Latino25545.5%+24+7
English Learners10418.3%+14+8
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Richmond Charter Academy ←4511.6%32.2%−1.23.0%
Manzanita Middle2 mi333.7%19.4%+11.63.2%
California average4316.8%39.3%+1.53.7%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
29%45%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #1544 → #1526 → #1613 → #584 → #883
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,238 middle schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue