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Salinas City Virtual Academy · Salinas

Salinas City Virtual Academy: No single number tells this school's story. Here's the honest picture.

Salinas City Virtual Academy posts 30% meeting the standard and 9.8% exceeding it, against 43% and 21.3% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

1210 Tyler Street, 93906 (opens in new tab)·Salinas City Elementary·Salinas·Grades K-6·99 students·73% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(831) 753-5677·Website
Alternative school — serves students who benefit from a non-traditional educational setting. Scores are not directly comparable to comprehensive schools.
2022–2025 trend · CDE CAASPP
This schoolCA avg
Scope4045
% Exceeded10%21%
% Met+30%43%
Growth+15.8-2.9
Absence28.6%17.9%
Suspension0.3%1.6%
Scope Score
40
📈 On the Rise · Developing
ranked #3,283 statewide · #3 of 15 in Salinas City Elementary

Salinas City Virtual Academy scores 40 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 43rd percentile of 5,744 California elementary schools (CDE CAASPP 2025).

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

📈 On the Rise — Ask how many years the improvement has held, not just the latest one — one strong cohort and a real turnaround can look identical in a single year of data.

CDE CAASPP 2025

Most rating sites would stop at “30% proficient” and call it done. Salinas City Virtual Academy deserves a closer read. The school sits in Salinas, where two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

The seven-year arc

Percentile among 5,744 elementary schools statewide

Climbed from the 23rd to the 43rd percentile since 2022 — past roughly 1100 elementary schools.

CA Dashboard
ELAOrange(Declined Significantly)MathRed(Declined Significantly)
ELA — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade2022202320242025
Grade 322%27%33%18%
Grade 428%25%31%37%
Grade 519%41%14%44%
Grade 633%17%32%23%
Math — % met or exceeded, by grade
Grade2022202320242025
Grade 322%33%52%18%
Grade 422%30%19%37%
Grade 511%26%14%24%
Grade 611%14%32%18%

The 6 things our score weighs

Exceeded standard
9.8%
State 21.3%
11.5pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
+15.8pp
State -2.9pp
Scores improve across grades
Met or exceeded
29.7%
State 42.7%
13.0pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
28.6%
State 17.9%
10.7pp above state avg
Suspension rate
0.3%
State 1.6%
1.3pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
24.3%
State 18.0%
6.3pp above 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.

  • Ask how the school follows up when a student starts missing days — chronic absence often starts outside the classroom, not inside it.
  • 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 Salinas City Virtual Academy in Salinas, 34.0% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 20.7% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Salinas City Virtual Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 13.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (20.8% Math proficient); Hispanic students (35.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 5.2 percentage points for low-income students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 53 students tested.

All students at this school: 29% met or exceeded
All StudentsAll Students: this school 29%, district —, state 43%29%
Hispanic/LatinoHispanic/Latino: this school 31%, district 22%, state 32%31% · +2 vs school
Socioeconomically DisadvantagedSocioeconomically Disadvantaged: this school 27%, district 20%, state 32%27% · −1 vs school
FemaleFemale: this school 26%, district 25%, state 44%26% · −3 vs school
MaleMale: this school 33%, district 23%, state 42%33% · +5 vs school
HomelessHomeless: this school 23%, district 19%, state 22%23% · −6 vs school

5 of 11 student groups here are too small to report — a privacy protection, not a gap.

this school district, same group California, same group
Subgroup growth by grade

Change in proficiency from the lowest tested grade — which groups gain ground the longer they stay. Groups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.

Showing up, and staying in class

Chronic absenteeismChronic absenteeism: this school 28.6%, district 20.3%, state 17.9%28.6% · +10.7pp vs state
Suspension rateSuspension rate: this school 0.3%, district —, state 1.6%0.3% · −1.3pp vs state
Chronic absenteeism by grade band
Grades 4–623.5%

The people teaching here

Context — never part of the Scope Score
Student : teacherStudent to teacher ratio: this school 25:1, district 23:125:1
Teaching staff5 teachers
Avg. experience7.2 years
Fully credentialed31%
Salary Schedule
Teacher salary schedule$58,897 – $117,823
Principal salary$122,348 – $0
Superintendent salary$231,680

Pay is set by the district, not the school.

What gets spent here

Per-pupil spendingPer-pupil spending: $21,980, CA average $14,815$21,980 · spent at this school
Federal share$438 per student

$438 per student arrives as federal Title funding — a measure of concentrated need, not school quality.

District current expense · FY 2024–25$23,037 per student

The district's current expense of education per student, from CDE's annual SACS filing — the freshest district spending figure the state publishes.

Where the district's dollars go · FY 2024–25 · CDE SACS
Instruction68%
Instruction support11%
Student services6%
Administration7%
Buildings & maintenance8%

District-level, from the district's own SACS general-ledger filing — school-by-school breakdowns aren't published by the state.

district detail, 2016–2020 — the newest published
2020$13,656 per pupil
2019$12,068 per pupil
2018$12,690 per pupil
2017$12,196 per pupil
2016$11,252 per pupil

Source: NCES F-33 · Full district breakdown →

The neighborhood it serves

Hispanic90.9%
District 90.8% · CA 56.1%
Other6.1%
District 4.4% · CA 9.0%
White2.0%
District 3.9% · CA 19.9%
Asian1.0%
District 0.5% · CA 10.2%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 72.7% (9pp above CA avg)
Neighborhood — American Community Survey
Median income$98K · CA $85K
Median home value$639K · CA $659K
Bachelor's degree+18% · CA 35%
ZIP population64,199
Median age34 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024) · ZIP-level

Worth Knowing

At 99 students, this school is much smaller than the typical California elementary school (≈480).

On the state's science test (CAST), 16% met or exceeded the standard — science is tested in grades 5 and 8 but never enters the Scope Score.

Frequently asked questions

Is Salinas City Virtual Academy a good elementary school?

Salinas City Virtual Academy has a Scope Score of 40 out of 100, placing it in the 43rd percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #3,283 statewide. 9.8% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 11.5 percentage points below the California average of 21.3%. The Scope Score weights 6 dimensions for elementary schools: exceeded standard (38%), grade 3-to-5 growth (27%), met or exceeded (proficient) (20%), chronic absenteeism (5%), suspension rate (5%), and ELPAC English Learner proficiency (5%). Data source: California Department of Education CAASPP 2025, analyzed by SchoolScope.

What are Salinas City Virtual Academy's CAASPP test scores?

On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 29.7% of students at Salinas City Virtual Academy met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 9.8% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 19.8% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 9.8% 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. 110 student-subject combinations were assessed.

How does Salinas City Virtual Academy rank in California?

Salinas City Virtual Academy ranks #3,283 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 43rd percentile. This ranking is based on a weighted composite of 2025 CAASPP test performance (exceeded and met rates), grade-level growth (Grade 3 to grade 5 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 Salinas City Virtual Academy getting better or worse?

Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Salinas City Virtual Academy increases by 15.8 percentage points from Grade 3 to grade 5 growth. This upward trajectory suggests the school is adding measurable value — students leave with higher proficiency rates than they entered with. Growth trajectory is weighted at 15% in the elementary 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 Salinas City Virtual Academy?

28.6% of students at Salinas City Virtual Academy are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 0.3%, 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 Salinas City Virtual Academy compare to other schools in Salinas?

Salinas City Virtual Academy scores 40/100 (43rd percentile) among California elementary 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 99 students. Use the schools in Salinas page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.

How does Salinas City Virtual Academy serve low-income and underrepresented students?

At Salinas City Virtual Academy in Salinas, 34.0% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 20.7% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Salinas City Virtual Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 13.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (20.8% Math proficient); Hispanic students (35.5% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 5.2 percentage points for low-income students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 53 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.

Your other options

All schools in Salinas →

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

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%
9.8%
↓ vs CA 21.3% · 39th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
+15.8pp
↑ vs CA -2.9pp · 59th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
29.7%
↓ vs CA 42.7% · 40th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
28.6%
↓ vs CA 17.9% · 33th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.3%
↑ vs CA 1.6% · 61th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
24.3%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 58th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 31118%0%27%55%18%−25
Grade 41916%21%21%42%37%−8
Grade 5258%36%24%32%44%−4
Grade 6225%18%32%45%23%−24
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 3119%9%18%64%18%−28
Grade 4190%37%21%42%37%−5
Grade 5258%16%36%40%24%−11
Grade 6220%18%14%68%18%−17
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11254%12%60%24%

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 Disadvantaged5334.0%+13−4
Hispanic/Latino6235.5%+12−3
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Salinas City Virtual Academy ←—409.8%29.7%+15.80.3%
Lincoln Elementary2.3 mi5618.5%45.0%+26.11.1%
Boronda Elementary0.9 mi4511.7%34.4%+29.31.1%
New Republic Elementary2.1 mi409.7%28.9%+25.40.3%
California average—4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
YearScopePctileRankExcMet+AbsentSuspGrowth
20222623#43909.7%20.6%21.8%0.5%-7.5pp
20234564#206013.2%30.4%18.6%0.1%+3.8pp
20243222#446311.3%27.4%24.6%0.3%-28.6pp
20254043#32839.8%29.7%28.6%0.3%+15.8pp
05Climate by student groupchronic absenteeism · 2019 vs 2025 — the two years CDE publishes at subgroup level
Group20192025Δ
Female—27.4%—
Male—36.7%—
Hispanic/Latino—31.0%—
Students with Disabilities—28.6%—
English Learners—20.9%—
Homeless—32.4%—
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged—34.1%—
All Students—31.5%—
EXC = exceeded standard · MET+ = met or exceeded ("proficient") · Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,744 elementary schools · Vintages: climate subgroups 2019+2025 · district finance per its label · ACS 2022 · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue

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

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