ExploreMapCompareBlogSign in
School Profile · Visalia

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

Sycamore Valley Academy posts 36% meeting the standard and 15.0% exceeding it, against 43% and 21.3% statewide. The gaps and the bright spots below are the real read.

6832 Avenue 280, 93277 (opens in new tab)·Tulare County Office of Education·Visalia·Grades TK-8·419 students·38% low-income·Charter·2024–25 CAASPP·(559) 622-3236·Website
Charter school — publicly funded, independently operated, open enrollment via lottery. Learn more
Scope Score
44
🌱 Building Momentum · Developing
ranked #2,617 statewide · #1 of 4 in Tulare County Office of Education

Sycamore Valley Academy scores 44 of 100 on SchoolScope's Scope Score — the 54th 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 →

Most rating sites would stop at “36% proficient” and call it done. Sycamore Valley Academy deserves a closer read. The school sits in Visalia, where one in three students qualify for free or reduced lunch — and reading the numbers without that context misreads the school.

As a charter, Sycamore Valley 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.

20%
11%
69%
Grade 3 · 31% proficient
32%
25%
43%
Grade 4 · 57% proficient
9%
19%
72%
Grade 5 · 28% proficient

The honest read: the share exceeding falls 10.3pp across grades; the floor slips 2.5pp. The state average rises 4.5pp 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
15.0%
State 21.3%
6.3pp below state avg
Growth (G3→G5)
-13.4pp
State -2.9pp
Scores decline across grades
Met or exceeded
36.2%
State 42.7%
6.5pp below state avg
Chronic absenteeism
15.5%
State 17.9%
2.4pp below state avg
Suspension rate
2.7%
State 1.6%
1.1pp 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.

Where the path goes

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

Estimated K-12 Path
Elementary
Sycamore Valley Academy
44
This school

Estimated K-12 path based on district and proximity. Actual attendance zones may differ. 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

Hispanic54.2%
White36.0%
Asian0.7%
Black0.5%
Other8.6%
Low IncomeFree/reduced lunch eligible 38.2% (26pp below CA avg)
Resources & Access
Enrollment
419
201 below CA avg (~620)
Transitional Kindergarten
24 TK students
6% of a 413-student campus · CDE Census Day 2025-26
Student-Teacher Ratio
23:1
2 more students per teacher than CA avg
Per-Pupil Spending
$97,094
CA avg: $14,815 · District avg · NCES F-33
Teacher Salary Range
$55,104 – $132,890
District schedule · CA median ~$98K
At Sycamore Valley Academy in Visalia, 34.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 30.3% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Sycamore Valley Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 4.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (21.7% Math proficient); Hispanic students (37.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 11.3 percentage points for low-income students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 93 students tested.
Equity Gaps
Math · Low-Income−16.1pp
15.6% vs 31.6% overall · n=53
3 more gaps by subject
ELA · Low-Income−11.3pp
29.9% vs 41.2% overall · n=68
ELA Exceeded · Low-Income−13.7pp
2.8% vs 16.5% overall · n=68
Math Exceeded · Low-Income−8.7pp
0.0% vs 8.7% overall · n=53

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

Subgroup Proficiency
Low-Income93 tested
ELA 34.4%·Math 21.7%· +4.1pp vs district
Hispanic151 tested
ELA 37.1%·Math 28.9%· +3.8pp vs district
White63 tested
ELA 49.2%·Math 38.1%· -46.0pp 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 18.3pp from grade 3 to grade 5 at this school.

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

Funding Breakdown
Instruction 46%Support 54%Other 0%

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

Neighborhood Context
Median Income
$81K
$4K below CA median
Median Home Value
$350K
$309K below CA median
Bachelor's+
25%
10pp 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
6.3 years avg experience
23 teachers · 17% first-year · 13% second-year
Teacher Credentials
72% fully credentialed
9.5% on intern/emergency permit

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 Sycamore Valley Academy a good elementary school?
Sycamore Valley Academy has a Scope Score of 44 out of 100, placing it in the 54th percentile of California elementary schools and ranked #2,617 statewide. 15.0% of students exceeded the state standard on the 2025 CAASPP assessment, which is 6.3 percentage points below the California average of 21.3%. The Scope Score weights six dimensions for elementary 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 Sycamore Valley Academy's CAASPP test scores?
On the 2025 CAASPP Smarter Balanced Assessment, 36.2% of students at Sycamore Valley Academy met or exceeded the state standard in ELA and Math combined, and 15.0% exceeded it. The gap between those numbers matters: 21.2% of students are at the proficiency floor, while 15.0% 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. 264 student-subject combinations were assessed.
How does Sycamore Valley Academy rank in California?
Sycamore Valley Academy ranks #2,617 among California elementary schools by Scope Score, placing it in the 54th 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 Sycamore Valley Academy getting better or worse?
Based on 2025 CAASPP data, proficiency at Sycamore Valley Academy decreases by 13.4 percentage points from Grade 3 to grade 5 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 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 Sycamore Valley Academy?
15.5% of students at Sycamore Valley Academy are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of school days), which is better than the California average of 17.9%. The suspension rate is 2.7%. 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 Sycamore Valley Academy compare to other schools in Visalia?
Sycamore Valley Academy scores 44/100 (54th 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 419 students. Use the schools in Visalia page or the map view to compare all elementary schools nearby.
How does Sycamore Valley Academy serve low-income and underrepresented students?
At Sycamore Valley Academy in Visalia, 34.4% of low-income students met or exceeded the ELA standard in 2025, compared to 30.3% district-wide and 38.2% statewide. Sycamore Valley Academy outperforms its district average for low-income students by 4.1 percentage points in ELA. Other subgroups: Low-Income students (21.7% Math proficient); Hispanic students (37.1% ELA proficient). The largest proficiency gap is 11.3 percentage points for low-income students. Data source: California Department of Education, CAASPP 2024-25. 93 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%
15.0%
↓ vs CA 21.3% · 44th pctile
Growth (G3→G5) · 27%
-13.4pp
↓ vs CA -2.9pp · 61th pctile
Met or exceeded · 20%
36.2%
↓ vs CA 42.7% · 45th pctile
Chronic absenteeism · 5%
15.5%
↑ vs CA 17.9% · 54th pctile
Suspension rate · 5%
2.7%
↓ vs CA 1.6% · 41th pctile
02By grade & subgroupCAASPP 2024–25 · % of tested students
ELATestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 34620%11%24%46%30%−13
Grade 44432%25%18%25%57%+12
Grade 5439%19%40%33%28%−20
Grade 6405%45%33%18%50%+3
Grade 74715%28%19%38%43%−5
Grade 83818%21%29%32%39%−7
MathTestedEXCMETNEARNOTMET++/CA
Grade 34615%30%13%41%46%−0
Grade 4437%28%47%19%35%−7
Grade 5427%14%17%62%21%−14
Grade 6400%25%28%48%25%−10
Grade 74715%21%15%49%36%+2
Grade 8388%18%24%50%26%−6
Science (CAST)TestedEXCMETNEARNOT
Grade 5/8/11809%13%63%16%

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 Disadvantaged9334.4%+4−4
Hispanic/Latino15137.1%+4−2
White6349.2%−46−13
03Peer comparison · nearest elementary schoolssorted by Scope Score
SchoolDistScopeEXCMET+GrowthSusp
Sycamore Valley Academy ←4415.0%36.2%−13.42.7%
California average4521.3%42.7%−2.91.6%
04More measurescontext · not all part of the Scope Score
Scope Score history
31%44%'19'22'23'24'25
2019 · 2022 · 2023 · 2024 · 2025 · no testing 2020–21 (COVID) · rank #4412 → #2120 → #2750 → #2445 → #2617
What we can't show
  • — Scored here as an elementary school — other grade spans appear in the data appendix.
Source: CA Dept. of Education · CAASPP 2024–25 · n=5,744 elementary schools · Data updated 2026-07-03methodology · data updates · CSV · report issue