School Profile · Mission Viejo
SVUSD Virtual Academy (Alternative): Most kids here clear the bar, year after year. The question is what happens after that.
SVUSD Virtual Academy (Alternative) posts 55% meeting the standard; 20.9% push past it. Steady is worth something — and the gap between those two numbers is the thing to ask about.
25952 Cordillera Drive, 92691 (opens in new tab)·Saddleback Valley Unified·Mission Viejo·Grades K-12·149 students·42% low-income·2024–25 CAASPP·(949) 830-3400
Alternative school — serves students who benefit from a non-traditional educational setting. Scores are not directly comparable to comprehensive schools.
Scope Score
43
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #865 statewide
SVUSD Virtual Academy (Alternative) scores 43 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 “55% proficient” and call it done. SVUSD Virtual Academy (Alternative) deserves a closer read. The school sits in Mission Viejo, where two in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.
SVUSD Virtual Academy (Alternative)'s low-income kids hit 50.0% proficiency in ELA — a number the same group reaches at 38.2% statewide. If you're trying to read past zip-code-driven test scores, that's the signal worth weighing.
The 6 things our score weighs
Exceeded standard
20.9%
State 16.8%
4.1pp above state avg
Met or exceeded
55.1%
State 39.3%
15.8pp above state avg
Growth (G6→G8)
-11.2pp
State +1.5pp
Scores decline across grades
Chronic absenteeism
36.3%
State 18.5%
17.8pp above state avg
Suspension rate
0.9%
State 3.7%
2.8pp below state avg
EL proficiency (ELPAC)
46.1%
State 18.0%
28.2pp above 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
SVUSD Virtual Academy (Alternative) serves grades K-12 — students can complete their entire K-12 education here.
Your other options
Nearby Middle Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 72
Fred Newhart Middle
Capistrano Unified · 1.6 mi
Strong
74/100
Oxford Preparatory Academy - Middle
Orange County Department of Education · 1.8 mi
Strong
74/100
Aliso Viejo Middle
Capistrano Unified · 3 mi
Solid
67/100
Nearby Elementary Schools
3 within ~3 mi · avg 77
Oxford Preparatory Academy - South Orange County
Capistrano Unified · 1.6 mi
Strong
79/100
Oxford Preparatory Academy - Saddleback Valley
Orange County Department of Education · 1.9 mi
Strong
78/100
Castille Elementary
Capistrano Unified · 1.1 mi
Strong
75/100
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 ScoreStudent demographics
Hispanic30.9%
White40.9%
Asian11.4%
Black1.3%
Other15.4%
GenderFemale 49.7%Male 49.0%Non-binary 1.3%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 42.3% (22pp below CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
149
1,051 below CA avg (~1,200)
Transitional Kindergarten
No TK reported, 2025-26
California requires the district to offer TK, but not every site has a room — ask the district which campuses do.
Student-Teacher Ratio
14:1
7 fewer students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$29,364
District avg: $12,689 · CA avg: $14,815 · School-level · CDE ESSA
EL Proficiency (ELPAC)
46.1% Level 4
Share of English Learners reaching full proficiency
Teacher Salary Range
$30,000 – $133,169
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At SVUSD Virtual Academy (Alternative) in Mission Viejo, 50.0% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 42.7% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. SVUSD Virtual Academy (Alternative) outperforms its district average for low-income students by 7.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (11.5% Math proficient); White students (69.2% ELA proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 26 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Absenteeism · English Learner+17.0pp
53.3% vs 36.3% overall · n=15
Subgroups with fewer than 15 students are excluded for privacy. Gaps of less than 3 percentage points are not shown.
Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income26 tested
ELA 50.0%·Math 11.5%· +7.3pp vs district
White26 tested
ELA 69.2%·Math 23.1%· -0.2pp 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.
Subgroups with fewer than 10 tested students per grade are not shown.
Funding Breakdown
Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$141K
$56K above CA median
Median Home Value
$985K
$326K above CA median
Bachelor's+
48%
13pp above 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
19.6 years avg experience
20 teachers
Teacher Credentials
85% 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 nerdsEvery number on this page
Score factors, grade-level breakdowns, subgroup proficiency, and peer comparisons.
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%
20.9%
↑ vs CA 16.8% · 54th pctile
Met or exceeded · 22%
55.1%
↑ vs CA 39.3% · 63th pctile
Growth (G6→G8) · 15%
-11.2pp
↓ vs CA +1.5pp · 35th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 10%
36.3%
↓ vs CA 18.5% · 25th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
0.9%
↑ vs CA 3.7% · 61th pctile
EL proficiency (ELPAC) · 5%
46.1%
↑ vs CA 18.0% · 76th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
| ELA | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 4 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 5 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 6 | 11 | 27% | 45% | 9% | 18% | 73% | +26 |
| Grade 7 | 12 | 25% | 42% | 17% | 17% | 67% | +19 |
| Grade 8 | 24 | 8% | 54% | 17% | 21% | 63% | +16 |
| Grade 11 | 38 | 34% | 32% | 21% | 13% | 66% | +19 |
| Math | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT | MET+ | +/CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 4 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 5 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grade 6 | 11 | 27% | 18% | 27% | 27% | 45% | +10 |
| Grade 7 | 12 | 25% | 25% | 33% | 17% | 50% | +16 |
| Grade 8 | 24 | 13% | 21% | 13% | 54% | 33% | +1 |
| Grade 11 | 38 | 8% | 5% | 37% | 50% | 13% | −10 |
| Science (CAST) | Tested | EXC | MET | NEAR | NOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5/8/11 | 62 | 10% | 24% | 65% | 2% |
CAST is tested in grades 5, 8, and once in high school — not annually. Not part of the Scope Score.
| Subgroup · ELA | Tested | MET+ | vs district | vs CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomically Disadvantaged | 26 | 50.0% | +7 | +12 |
| White | 26 | 69.2% | −0 | +7 |
03Peer comparison · nearest middle schoolssorted by Scope Score
| School | Dist | Scope | EXC | MET+ | Growth | Susp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SVUSD Virtual Academy (Alternative) ← | — | 43 | 20.9% | 55.1% | −11.2 | 0.9% |
| Fred Newhart Middle | 1.6 mi | 74 | 43.9% | 72.7% | +2.5 | 2.7% |
| Oxford Preparatory Academy - Middle | 1.8 mi | 74 | 47.7% | 72.6% | −1.2 | 2.1% |
| Aliso Viejo Middle | 3 mi | 67 | 39.7% | 68.1% | +3.3 | 2.5% |
| California average | — | 40 | 16.8% | 39.3% | +1.5 | 3.7% |
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #757 → #670 → #707 → #545 → #865
What we can't show
- — Scored here as a middle school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=2,238 middle schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue
Frequently asked questions
Is SVUSD Virtual Academy (Alternative) a good middle school?
SVUSD Virtual Academy (Alternative) has a Scope Score of 43 out of 100, placing it in the 61st percentile of California middle schools and ranked #865 statewide. 20.9% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 4.1 percentage points above 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 SVUSD Virtual Academy (Alternative)'s CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 55.1% of students at SVUSD Virtual Academy (Alternative) met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 20.9% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 34.2% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 20.9% 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. 94 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does SVUSD Virtual Academy (Alternative) rank in California?
SVUSD Virtual Academy (Alternative) ranks #865 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 SVUSD Virtual Academy (Alternative) getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at SVUSD Virtual Academy (Alternative) decreases by 11.2 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 SVUSD Virtual Academy (Alternative)?
36.3% of students at SVUSD Virtual Academy (Alternative) are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), compared to the California average of 18.5%. The suspension rate is 0.9%, 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 SVUSD Virtual Academy (Alternative) compare to other schools in Mission Viejo?
SVUSD Virtual Academy (Alternative) scores 43/100 (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 149 students. Use the schools in Mission Viejo page or the map view to compare all middle schools nearby.
How does SVUSD Virtual Academy (Alternative) serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At SVUSD Virtual Academy (Alternative) in Mission Viejo, 50.0% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 42.7% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. SVUSD Virtual Academy (Alternative) outperforms its district average for low-income students by 7.3 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (11.5% Math proficient); White students (69.2% ELA proficient). Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 26 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.